On the manifestation of Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in an inhomogeneous interstellar medium with radiative cooling

We numerically simulate the evolution of the plane two-dimensional deformations of a contact discontinuity that is impulsively accelerated by a shock wave. We take into account the effects of radiative cooling and perturbation scale lengths on the dynamics and shape of the forming density inhomogeneities. For moderately intense shocks in a stellar wind and for strong shocks from a supernova, we show that the radiative cooling processes do not affect significantly the growth rate of the initial perturbations and the total mass of the forming condensations. However, the density of the matter compressed by the transmitted shock wave increases dramatically. At the same time, the contribution from long-wavelength perturbations to the deformation of the contact surface decreases significantly. In the case of shock propagation from a supernova, the initial conditions have been found to be a factor that can affect the morphology of the shocked interstellar medium.     

Three-dimensional simulations of molecular cloud fragmentation regulated by magnetic fields and ambipolar diffusion

We employ the first fully three-dimensional simulation to study the role of magnetic fields and ion–neutral friction in regulating gravitationally driven fragmentation of molecular clouds. The cores in an initially subcritical cloud develop gradually over an ambipolar diffusion time while the cores in an initially supercritical cloud develop in a dynamical time. The infalling speeds on to cores are subsonic in the case of an initially subcritical cloud, while an extended (≳0.1 pc) region of supersonic infall exists in the case of an initially supercritical cloud. These results are consistent with previous two-dimensional simulations. We also found that a snapshot of the relation between density (ρ) and the strength of the magnetic field ( B ) at different spatial points of the cloud coincides with the evolutionary track of an individual core. When the density becomes large, both the relations tend to   B ∝ρ^0.5  .     

Problem of the Rotating Magnetoconvection in Variously Stratified Fluid Layer Revisited

The linear magnetoconvection in the rotating uniformly as well as non-uniformly stratified horizontal layer with azimuthal magnetic field is investigated for the various mechanical and electrical boundary conditions and especially, for various values of Roberts number. The developed diffusive perturbations (modes) are strongly influenced not only by the mentioned properties of boundaries but also by complicated coupling of viscous, thermal and magnetic diffusive processes. The mean electromotive force produced by developed hydromagnetic instabilities is also investigated to determine the hydromagnetic processes which are appropriate for -effect. The presented paper is an unification of hitherto published results of the authors and gives a short survey of many developments of corresponding model by Soward (1979).     

Transport of thermal plasma above the auroral ionosphere in the presence of electrostatic ion-cyclotron turbulence

The electron component of intensive electric currents flowing along the geomagnetic field lines excites turbulence in the thermal magnetospheric plasma. The protons are then scattered by the excited electromagnetic waves, and as a result the plasma is stable. As the electron and ion temperatures of the background plasma are approximately equal each other, here electrostatic ion-cyclotron (EIC) turbulence is considered. In the nonisothermal plasma the ion-acoustic turbulence may occur additionally. The anomalous resistivity of the plasma causes large-scale differences of the electrostatic potential along the magnetic field lines. The presence of these differences provides heating and acceleration of the thermal and energetic auroral plasma. The investigation of the energy and momentum balance of the plasma and waves in the turbulent region is performed numerically, taking the magnetospheric convection and thermal conductivity of the plasma into account. As shown for the quasi-steady state, EIC turbulence may provide differences of the electric potential of δ V ≈ 1–10 kV at altitudes of 500 < h < 10 000 km above the Earth’s surface. In the turbulent region, the temperatures of the electrons and protons increase only a few times in comparison with the background values.     

Preliminary results from the MEMO multicomponent measurements of waves on-board INTERBALL 2

The MEMO (MEsure Multicomposante des Ondes) experiment is a part of theINTERBALL 2 wave consortium. It is connected to a total of six electric and nine magnetic independent sensors. It provides waveforms associated with the measurement of two to five components in three frequency bands: ELF (5–1000 Hz), VLF (1–20 kHz), LF (20–250 kHz). Preliminary analyses of low and high resolution data are presented. The emphasis is put on the estimation of the propagation characteristics of the observed waves. VLF hiss emissions are shown to be mainly whistler mode emissions, but other modes are present. An accurate estimation of the local plasma frequency is proposed when the low L = 0 cutoff frequency is identified. AKR emissions observed just above source regions are studied. R-X and L-O modes are found: the first at the lowest frequencies and the second at the highest. Both propagate with wave normal directions weakly oblique or quasi-parallel to the Earths magnetic field direction. Propagation characteristics are also determined for a (non-drifting) fine structure of AKR. There is no fundamental difference with structurless events. Night-side and dayside bursts of ELF electromagnetic emissions are presented. It is not clear whether the two emissions belong to the lion roar emissions or not.     

Ionospheric conductance distribution and MHD wave structure: observation and model

The ionosphere influences magnetohydrodynamic waves in the magnetosphere by damping because of Joule heating and by varying the wave structure itself. There are different eigenvalues and eigensolutions of the three dimensional toroidal wave equation if the height integrated Pedersen conductivity exceeds a critical value, namely the wave conductance of the magnetosphere. As a result a jump in frequency can be observed in ULF pulsation records. This effect mainly occurs in regions with gradients in the Pedersen conductances, as in the auroral oval or the dawn and dusk areas. A pulsation event recorded by the geostationary GOES-6 satellite is presented. We explain the observed change in frequency as a change in the wave structure while crossing the terminator. Furthermore, selected results of numerical simulations in a dipole magnetosphere with realistic ionospheric conditions are discussed. These are in good agreement with the observational data.     

ULF waves: 1997 IAGA division 3 reporter review

Highlights of studies of ULF waves from 1995 to early 1997 are presented. The subjects covered include (1) Pc 3–5 waves excited by sources in the solar wind, with emphasis on the role of the magnetospheric cavity in modifying the external source and establishing its own resonances, and the role of the plasmapause in magnetohydrodynamic wave propagation; (2) Pi 2 waves, with emphasis on the plasmaspheric resonances and possible alternative excitation by plasmasheet source waves; (3) the spatial structure of internally excited long-period waves, including a kinetic theory for radially confined ring current instability and groundbased multipoint observation of giant pulsations; (4) amplitude-modulated Pc 1–2 waves in the outer magnetosphere (Pc 1–2 bursts) and in the inner magnetosphere (structured Pc 1 waves or pearls); and (5) the source region of the quasi-periodic emissions. Theory and observations are compared, and controversial issues are highlighted. In addition, some future directions are suggested.     

Outbursts of irradiated accretion discs

I solve analytically the viscous evolution of an irradiated accretion disc, as seen during outbursts of soft X-ray transients. The solutions predict steep power-law X-ray decays L _X ∼ (1 + t/t_visc)⁻⁴, changing to L _X ∼ (1 − t/t'_visc)⁴ at late times, where t _visc, t '_visc are viscous time-scales. These forms closely resemble the approximate exponential and linear decays inferred by King and Ritter in these two regimes. The decays are much steeper than for unirradiated discs because the viscosity is a function of the central accretion rate rather than of local conditions in the disc.     

Waves and instabilities in a differentially rotating disc containing a poloidal magnetic field

The theory of waves and instabilities in a differentially rotating disc containing a poloidal magnetic field is developed within the framework of ideal magnetohydrodynamics. A continuous spectrum, for which the eigenfunctions are localized on individual magnetic surfaces, is identified but is found not to contain any instabilities associated with differential rotation. The normal modes of a weakly magnetized thin disc are studied by extending the asymptotic methods used previously to describe the equilibria. Waves propagate radially in the disc according to a dispersion relation which is determined by solving an eigenvalue problem at each radius. The dispersion relation for a hydrodynamic disc is re-examined and the modes are classified according to their behaviour in the limit of large wavenumber. The addition of a magnetic field introduces new, potentially unstable, modes and also breaks up the dispersion diagram by causing avoided crossings. The stability boundary to the magnetorotational instability in the parameter space of polytropic equilibria is located by solving directly for marginally stable equilibria. For a given vertical magnetic field in the disc, bending of the field lines has a stabilizing effect and it is shown that stable equilibria exist which are capable of launching a predominantly centrifugally driven wind.     

The dependence of the diffusion coefficient on the mixing length in Kato's overstable zone

The treatment of the overstable zone by Langer, Sugimoto &38; Fricke is extended so that the effects of radiative heat loss from convective elements and of the mixing length are included. As the overstability investigated by Kato arises because of the radiative heat loss from the convective element, this loss may play a role in the heat flux. In the formulation presented in this work, the diffusion coefficient depends on the mixing length when the mixing length is very small. In calculations with the method of Langer et al., the efficiency factor of the diffusion coefficient of chemical species is sometimes much smaller than 1. This exceedingly small efficiency factor may be explained by the dependence of the diffusion coefficient on the mixing length. We find that the neutral condition of Kato's overstable zone is ∇ _rad = ∇ _ad.