首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
相似文献
 共查询到20条相似文献,搜索用时 15 毫秒
1.
The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability on the magnetopause has frequently been invoked as a mechanism for driving geomagnetic pulsations in the Pc3–Pc5 range, as well as to explain the occurrence of surface waves on the magnetopause observed by satellites. Most theories of the instability represent the magnetopause by a sharp boundary with velocity shear. In this paper a linear theory is developed which takes into account the finite thickness of the low-latitude boundary layer on the magnetopause. The theory is in a form suitable for numerical computation and can take into account the effect of gradients in the plasma pressure, magnetic field magnitude and direction, and density. Computations show that the instability is suppressed at wavelengths short compared with the scale width of the boundary. There is thus a wavelength for which the growth rate is maximum. Extensive computations have been carried out and they show that growth can take place for a very wide range of conditions. The computations confirm earlier results snowing that maximum growth occurs for a wave vector which is perpendicular to the magnetic field. For typical solar wind conditions the theory predicts wavelengths on the magnetopause of the order of 10 times the thickness of the low-latitude boundary layer and periods in the Pc3–Pc5 range. The possible non-linear development of the instability is discussed qualitatively. The predicted results are consistent with satellite observations of pulsations.  相似文献   

2.
Shearing instability of ion flow in an inhomogeneous plasma background in the magnetopause boundary layer at the high-latitude magnetotail is studied in this paper. By considering tail-aligned currents, we find that the instability excitation strongly depends on the disturbed wavelength. A quasi-critical wave number for instability is obtained. For relatively long perturbations, the instability tends to be excited at the inner edge of the boundary layer. The stable surface waves at the magnetopause and the K-H instability at the inner edge of the boundary layer can exist at the same time. This may contribute to the continuous transfer of momentum toward the magnetosphere.  相似文献   

3.
The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability gained scientific attention after observations at Venus by the spacecraft Pioneer Venus Orbiter gave rise to speculations that the instability contributes to the loss of planetary ions through the formation of plasma clouds. Since then, a handful of studies were devoted to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability at the ionopause and its implications for Venus. The aim of this study is to investigate the stability of the two instability-relevant boundary layers around Venus: the induced magnetopause and the ionopause. We solve the 2D magnetohydrodynamic equations with the total variation diminishing Lax–Friedrichs algorithm and perform simulation runs with different initial conditions representing the situation at the boundary layers around Venus. Our results show that the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability does not seem to be able to reach its nonlinear vortex phase at the ionopause due to the very effective stabilizing effect of a large density jump across this boundary layer. This seems also to be true for the induced magnetopause for low solar activity. During high solar activity, however, there could occur conditions at the induced magnetopause which are in favour of the nonlinear evolution of the instability. For this situation, we estimated roughly a growth rate for planetary oxygen ions of about 7.6 × 1025 s−1, which should be regarded as an upper limit for loss due to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability.  相似文献   

4.
A simple method is proposed to investigate the stability of a charge neutral magnetopause current sheet with respect to the tearing-mode instability. This method may serve as a useful tool in understanding the processes of local opening of the closed magnetosphere.  相似文献   

5.
The effect of finite ion Larmor radius on the Kelvin-Hehnholtz instability of the Earth's magnetopause is theoretically investigated when a wave vector is perpendicular to a magnetic field. It is found that a dawn-dusk asymmetry in excited waves is caused by this effect. This result is discussed in comparison with satellite observations.  相似文献   

6.
The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is believed to be an important means for the transfer of energy, plasma, and momentum from the solar wind into planetary magnetospheres, with in situ measurements reported from Earth, Saturn, and Venus. During the first MESSENGER flyby of Mercury, three periodic rotations were observed in the magnetic field data possibly related to a Kelvin-Helmholtz wave on the dusk side magnetopause. We present an analysis of the event, along with comparisons to previous Kelvin-Helmholtz observations and an investigation of what influence finite ion gyro radius effects, believed to be of importance in the Hermean magnetosphere, may have on the instability. The wave signature does not correspond to that of typical Kelvin-Helmholtz events, and the magnetopause direction does not show any signs of major deviation from the unperturbed case. There is thus no indication of any high amplitude surface waves. On the other hand, the wave period corresponds to that expected for a Kelvin-Helmholtz wave, and as the dusk side is shown to be more stable than the dawn side, we judge the observed waves not to be fully developed Kelvin-Helmholtz waves, but they may be an initial perturbation that could cause Kelvin-Helmholtz waves further down the tail.  相似文献   

7.
A MHD theory of combined Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) and Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instabilities for a transition layer with two different scale lengths (Δ and δ for the variation of velocity/magnetic fields and density, respectively) is presented. The study is motivated by reports of magnetopauses with no low latitude boundary layer, in which a sharp density drop over a distance δ?Δ is observed (“pristine” magnetopauses (J. Geophys. Res. 101 (1996) 49). The theory ignores compressibility effects and applies to subsonic regions of the dayside magnetopause. The RT effect is included to account for temporary periods of acceleration of the magnetopause, caused by sudden changes of the solar wind dynamic pressure. For small wavelengths λ, such that δ?λ?Δ, a WKB solution shows that the velocity gradient operates, together with magnetic tensions, to attenuate or even stabilize the Rayleigh-Taylor instability within a certain wavelength range. An exact dispersion relation for flute modes, valid for all λ, in the form of a fourth order polynomial for the complex frequency ω, is obtained from a model with a constant velocity gradient, dV/dy within Δ, and with δ→0. Flute modes are possible because of the existence of bands of very small magnetic shear on the dayside magnetopause (J. Geophys. Res. 103 (1998) 6703). The exact solution allows for a study of the change of the action of the velocity gradient with λ from the long-λ range where dV/dy is KH destabilizing to the short-λ range where dV/dy produces a stabilizing effect. Both, the WKB approximation and the well known tangential discontinuity model (Δ→0) are recovered as limiting cases of the exact solution. Properties of the KH and RT instabilities, for different density ratios on either side of the magnetopause, are described. For flute modes, at very small λ the RT instability grows faster and becomes the dominant effect. However, it is shown that the growth rate remains bounded at a finite value as λ→0, when a theory with a finite δ model is considered. To study configurations with finite, arbitrary, δ/Δ ratios, the MHD perturbation equations are solved numerically, using hyperbolic tangent functions for both the density and velocity transitions across the magnetopause. To examine the influence of different δ/Δ ratios on the growth rates of KH and RT, calculations are performed for different δ/Δ, with and without acceleration, and for two different density ratios. It is found that the general features exhibited by the constant dV/dy model, are confirmed by these numerical solutions. The stability of pristine magnetopauses, and the possibility of observing some theoretical predictions during magnetopause crossings in ongoing missions, are discussed.  相似文献   

8.
Farrugia  C. J.  Harris  B.  Leitner  M.  Möstl  C.  Galvin  A. B.  Simunac  K. D. C.  Torbert  R. B.  Temmer  M. B.  Veronig  A. M.  Erkaev  N. V.  Szabo  A.  Ogilvie  K. W.  Luhmann  J. G.  Osherovich  V. A. 《Solar physics》2012,281(1):461-489

We discuss the temporal variations and frequency distributions of solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field parameters during the solar minimum of 2007?–?2009 from measurements returned by the IMPACT and PLASTIC instruments on STEREO-A. We find that the density and total field strength were significantly weaker than in the previous minimum. The Alfvén Mach number was higher than typical. This reflects the weakness of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) forces, and has a direct effect on the solar wind–magnetosphere interactions. We then discuss two major aspects that this weak solar activity had on the magnetosphere, using data from Wind and ground-based observations: i) the dayside contribution to the cross-polar cap potential (CPCP), and ii) the shapes of the magnetopause and bow shock. For i) we find a low interplanetary electric field of 1.3±0.9 mV?m?1 and a CPCP of 37.3±20.2 kV. The auroral activity is closely correlated to the prevalent stream–stream interactions. We suggest that the Alfvén wave trains in the fast streams and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability were the predominant agents mediating the transfer of solar wind momentum and energy to the magnetosphere during this three-year period. For ii) we determine 328 magnetopause and 271 bow shock crossings made by Geotail, Cluster 1, and the THEMIS B and C spacecraft during a three-month interval when the daily averages of the magnetic and kinetic energy densities attained their lowest value during the three years under survey. We use the same numerical approach as in Fairfield’s (J. Geophys. Res. 76, 7600, 1971) empirical model and compare our findings with three magnetopause models. The stand-off distance of the subsolar magnetopause and bow shock were 11.8 R E and 14.35 R E, respectively. When comparing with Fairfield’s (1971) classic result, we find that the subsolar magnetosheath is thinner by ~1 R E. This is mainly due to the low dynamic pressure which results in a sunward shift of the magnetopause. The magnetopause is more flared than in Fairfield’s model. By contrast the bow shock is less flared, and the latter is the result of weaker MHD forces.

  相似文献   

9.
Shear flow instability is studied in the planar magnetopause boundary layer region by treating the plasma as compressible. A necessary criterion for instability near the cusp resonance is obtained analytically. The criterion depends on plasma, Alfvén Mach numberM A and the ratio of the scale lengths of the gradients in the flow and Alfvén velocities. The instability at the cusp resonance layer can be excited rather easily for the low plasma and for shear flow scale length smaller than the typical scale length over which Alfvén velocity varies. The growth rate for instability is obtained for any from a cubic equation. The unstable modes may contribute to the ULF wave activity at the magnetopause.  相似文献   

10.
Voyager 1, exiting the earth's magnetosphere along the dawn meridian at a velocity of ~11 km/sec, measured strong tailward flows of ions (E30keV) immediately outside the magnetopause. These flows are found to originate sunward of the dawn meridian and to exhibit significant variabilities on the time scale of 400 msec. The variations are not related to changes in the magnetosheath magnetic fields and are likely produced up-stream by the leakage of magnetosphere protons or by a magnetopause particle energization process. The intensities of the dawn meridian ion flows are greater in the magnetosheath than in the magnetosphere. The flows appear to penetrate inside the dawn magnetosphere to a depth 0.1 R>E, less than an ion gyroradius.  相似文献   

11.
The magnetized solar wind carries a large amount of energy but only a small fraction of it enters the magnetosphere and powers its dynamics. Numerous observations show that the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is a key parameter regulating the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction. The main factor determining the amount of energy extracted from the solar wind flow by the magnetosphere is the plasma flow structure in the region adjacent to the sunward side of the magnetopause. While compared to the energy of the solar wind flow the IMF magnetic energy is relatively weak, it is considerably enhanced in a thin layer next to the dayside magnetopause variously called the plasma depletion layer or magnetic barrier. Important features of this barrier/layer are (i) a pile-up of the magnetic field with (ii) a concurrent decrease of density, (iii) enhancement of proton temperature anisotropy, (iv) asymmetry of plasma flow caused by magnetic field tension, and (v) characteristic wave emissions (ion cyclotron waves). Importantly, the magnetic barrier can be considered as an energy source for magnetic reconnection. While the steady-state magnetic barrier has been extensively examined, non-steady processes therein have only been addressed by a few authors. We discuss here two non-steady aspects related to variations of the magnetic barrier caused by (i) a north-to-south rotation of the IMF, and (ii) by pulses of magnetic field reconnection at the magnetopause. When the IMF rotates smoothly from north-to-south, a transition layer is shown to appear in the magnetosheath which evolves into a thin layer bounded by sharp gradients in the magnetic field and plasma quantities. For a given reconnection rate and calculated parameters of the magnetic barrier, we estimate the duration and length scale of a reconnection pulse as a function of the solar wind parameters. Considering a sudden decrease of the magnetic field near the magnetopause caused by the reconnection pulse, we study the relaxation process of the magnetic barrier. We find that the relaxation time is longer than the duration of the reconnection pulse for large Alfvén-Mach numbers.  相似文献   

12.
Nearly 1000 magnetopause crossings from HEOS-2, HEOS-1, OGO-5 and 5 IMP space-craft covering most of the northern and part of the southern dayside and near-Earth tail magnetopause (X >?15 RE) have been used to perform a detailed study of the three-dimensional shape and location of the magnetopause. The long-term influence of the solar wind conditions on the average magnetopause geometry has been reduced by normalising the radial distances of the observed magnetopause crossings to an average dynamical solar wind pressure. Best-fit ellipsoids have been obtained to represent the average magnetopause surface in geocentric solar ecliptic (GSE) and (as a function of tilt angle) in solar magnetic (SM) coordinates. Average geocentric distances to the magnetopause for the 1972–1973 solar wind conditions (density 9.4 cm?3, velocity 450 km s?1) are 8.8 RE in the sunward direction, 14.7 RE in the dusk direction, 13.4 RE in the dawn direction and 13.7 RE in the direction normal to the ecliptic plane. The magnetopause surface is tilted by 6.6° ± 2° in a direction consistent with that expected from the aberration effect of the radial solar wind. Our data suggest that the solar wind plasma density and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation affect the distance to the polar magnetopause, larger distances corresponding to higher plasma density and southward fields. Our best-fit magnetopause surface shows larger geocentric distances than predicted by the model of Choe et al. [Planet Space Sci. 21, 485 (1973).] normalised to the same solar wind pressure.  相似文献   

13.
Shear flow instability is studied in the planar magnetopause boundary layer region by treating the plasma as compressible. A necessary criterion for instability near the Alfvén resonance is obtained. Sufficient criterion for instability is derived from the solution of a six degree polynomial for the cases of constant and antisymmetric velocity profiles when there is no Alfvén resonance. Both the criteria are obtained analytically for the first time. The necessary criterion generalises the well-known inflexion point theorem and Rayleigh's criterion in the hydrodynamic case to magnetohydrodynamic case for incompressible plasma provided both the Alfvén surfaces lie in the boundary layer. The Alfvén resonant surfaces are similar to the boundary walls in hydrodynamics. A semi-hyperbola theorem for the unstable situation is derived which represents the domain of Doppler shifted real frequency and imaginary frequency. From the sufficient criterion for instability it is observed that plasma shear should be more for a compressible plasma in order to make the plasma unstable. The growth rate for instability is obtained. A thin layer around Alfvén resonance effectively determines how fast the flow could attain instability.  相似文献   

14.
Magnetic field variations in the noon-midnight plane during the magnetospheric substorm are studied in terms of changes of three current systems: the dynamo-driven current on the magnetopause, the cross-tail current and the field-aligned current-auroral electrojet system. The field-aligned current is assumed to be generated as a result of interruption and subsequent diversion of the cross-tail current to the ionosphere. It is concluded that the available observations are consistent with a large increase of the three currents.  相似文献   

15.
进动不规则性对SS433短周期现象的影响   总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1  
本文在文献[1]的基础上考虑进动不规则性,采用改进的阻尼正弦模型来计算SS433短周期变化的振幅、周期和多普勒频移残差分布轮廓的理论曲线,并将此曲线和残差分布轮廓作方差分析进行比较.结果表明:(1)在进动不规则性情形下,短周期变化的周期没有变化,振幅有微小变化;(2)理论曲线和残差分布轮廓吻合较好,这说明残差分布轮廓与进动不规则性有关;(3)短周期现象中的拍仍然存在,只不过受到不同程度的畸变影响.  相似文献   

16.
The result of investigating high-latitude Pc1–2 pulsations are presented in this paper. They show that these unstructured oscillations are typical in intervals of low magnetic activity for regions of projections of the dayside cusp on the Earth's surface. The morphological properties of these pulsations, namely the character of their diurnal variations and dependence of their amplitude and frequency of occurrence on magnetic activity on different latitudes, suggest methods of utilization for tracing the location of the equatorial boundary of the dayside cusp. It is suggested that Pc1–2 pulsations are generated mainly in the dayside magnetosheath on field lines, crossing the magnetopause and entering in the dayside cusp. The possible mechanism of generation is the ion-cyclotron instability of plasma of finite pressure (β ? 1) and with anisotropic temperature (T > T).  相似文献   

17.
We study several high kinetic energy density jets observed during a traversal of the dayside magnetosheath by the Cluster spacecraft on March 17, 2001, at various distances from the magnetopause, generally characterised by anomalously high values of the local magnetosonic Mach number. We concentrate on two jets observed just outside the magnetopause, the first almost parallel to the GSM x axis and the second directed northward-tailward along the nominal magnetopause surface. We present evidence that none of them can be ascribed to magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause and show that the magnetopause is severely deformed by the jets, so that its local normal forms an angle of 97° with the quiet time magnetopause normal. On these grounds, we suggest that the indentation of the magnetopause is caused by an anti-sunward jet ramming into the magnetopause slightly equatorward of the northern cusp and that the northward-tailward jet is the result of its reflection at the deformed magnetopause. Finally, we briefly discuss our results by comparing them with past studies of events which in some way recall the one analysed herein.  相似文献   

18.
Particle trapping by tangential gradients at the magnetopause is investigated for the case of a tangential discontinuity and taking into account an external magnetosheath magnetic field. Such a field causes a deflection of the reflected particle back to the magnetopause and thus enhances the chances of the particle to be captured by the magnetosphere after having travelled a certain finite distance down the magnetopause. The trapping angle and distances are calculated. Assuming a drifting Maxwellian for the magnetosheath plasma, we estimate that about 5% of that part of the magnetosheath plasma which comes into contact with the magnetopause can enter the dayside magnetopause during the first encounter. After multiple gyrations, about 30% of these particles may be trapped in the magnetosphere.  相似文献   

19.
The polar cusps have traditionally been described as narrow funnel-shaped regions of magnetospheric magnetic field lines directly connected to magnetosheath, allowing the magnetosheath plasma to precipitate into the ionosphere. However, recent observations and theoretical considerations revealed that the formation of the cusp cannot be treated separately from the processes along the whole dayside magnetopause and that the plasma in regions like cleft or low-latitude boundary layer is of the same origin. Our review of statistical results as well as numerous case studies identified the anti-parallel merging at the magnetopause as the principal source of the magnetosheath plasma in all altitudes. Since effective merging requires a low plasma speed at the reconnection spot, we have found that the magnetopause shape and especially its indentation at the outer cusp is a very important part of the whole process. The plasma is slowed down in this indentation and arising multiscale turbulent processes enhance the reconnection rate.  相似文献   

20.
设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号