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Similarity of waves in dispersive media
Author(s) -
Arzner K.,
Bebie H.
Publication year - 1997
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 - 10.1029/97gl00674
Subject(s) - whistler , independence (probability theory) , similarity (geometry) , physics , dispersion relation , dispersion (optics) , geophysics , magnetic field , field (mathematics) , computational physics , geology , optics , mathematics , computer science , quantum mechanics , statistics , artificial intelligence , pure mathematics , image (mathematics)
In a previous letter, D.A.Gurnett [1995] discussed the remarkable fact that atmospheric whistlers propagate under the same emission cone relative to the earth's magnetic field as bow waves do with respect to the ship's velocity—namely under 19°28′. The present contribution is a comment on Gurnett's letter and considers a prerequisite for the occurence of the similarity of both phenomena: the independence of the wave features of parameters such as the ship's speed or the earth's magnetic field. It is found that media with dispersion relations of the form ω ∼ k α show such independence; a more general solution is also given.