Nonlinear Rayleigh-Taylor instability in partially ionized plasma and the equatorial spread-F |
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Authors: | R K Jain A C Das |
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Institution: | (1) Physical Research Laboratory, 380 009 Ahmedabad |
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Abstract: | The nonlinear evolution of the collisional gravitation induced RayleighTaylor (R-T) instability in the equatorialF region is investigated taking into account the finite larmor radius (FLR) effects and the complete ion inertial term in ion
equation of motion. A special class of coherent weakly nonlinear modes as solutions to the wave equation describing R-T instability
driven modes is obtained. The leading nonlinear effects in the wave equation are found to appear throughV
l, the ion diamagnetic drift which essentially gives the FLR corrections. It is shown that the R-T modes in the equatorialF region can evolve into coherent, nonlinear, almost sinusoidal, stationary wave structures. These structures are found to
travel with a constant phase velocity and to have slightly distorted sinusoidal shapes. These results seem to have a good
agreement with many of the recent rocket and satellite observations of the equatorial spreadF irregularities. |
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Keywords: | Rayleigh-Taylor instability diamagnetic drift phase coherence FLR corrections irregularities |
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