Plasma bubbles near the dawn terminator in the topside ionosphere |
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| Authors: | William I Burke |
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| Institution: | Regis College Research Center, Weston, MA 02193, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | The physical properties of plasma bubbles in the topside ionosphere near the dawn terminator are investigated. It is assumed that the bubbles result from either a Rayleigh-Taylor or an instability on the bottom side of the F-layer. While the E-region is in darkness, the top and bottomsides of the ionosphere are electrically decoupled and the motion of bubbles can be described by non-linear, two-dimensional theory. After sunrise, electric fields within the bubbles discharge through the conducting lower ionosphere. The upward drift of the bubbles is effectively halted. To achieve a dayside state of diffusive equilibrium the bubbles slowly begin to collapse from the bottom. |
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