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Influence of velocity shear on the Rayleigh‐Taylor instability
Author(s) -
Guzdar P. N.,
Satyanarayana P.,
Huba J. D.,
Ossakow S. L.
Publication year - 1982
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/gl009i005p00547
Subject(s) - instability , rayleigh–taylor instability , ionosphere , wavelength , shear (geology) , physics , striation , rayleigh scattering , geophysics , mechanics , geology , optics , paleontology , petrology
The influence of a transverse velocity shear on the Rayleigh‐Taylor instability is investigated. It is found that a sheared velocity flow can substantially reduce the growth rate of the Rayleigh‐Taylor instability in the short wavelength regime (i.e., kL > 1 where L is the scale length of the density inhomogeneity), and causes the growth rate to maximize at kL < 1.0. Applications of this result to ionospheric phenomena [equatorial spread F (ESF) and ionospheric plasma clouds] are discussed. In particular, the effect of shear could account for, at times, the 100’s of km modulation observed on the bottomside of the ESF ionosphere and the km scale size wavelengths observed in barium cloud prompt striation phenomena.