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Firehose instability near substorm expansion‐phase onset?
Author(s) -
Ji Shuo,
Wolf R. A.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2003gl017981
Subject(s) - substorm , physics , instability , plasma sheet , context (archaeology) , plasma , magnetic field , magnetohydrodynamics , adiabatic process , protein filament , geophysics , magnetic reconnection , shock wave , mechanics , magnetosphere , geology , materials science , paleontology , quantum mechanics , composite material , thermodynamics
The evolution of plasma ejected earthward from a patch of reconnection at ∼25 R E is studied using a double‐adiabatic‐MHD simulation of a thin filament. Firehose instability occurs in the simulation after a compressional shock reflects from the near‐Earth region. The tailward‐propagating compressional wave, which brakes the earthward flow in the filament, is characterized by strong magnetic fluctuations. Within the context of the Near‐Earth‐X‐Line model of substorms, we suggest that firehose instability might cause the intense magnetic‐field fluctuations observed in the inner plasma sheet at substorm onset.