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Simulation of double layers in a model auroral circuit with nonlinear impedance
Author(s) -
Smith Robert A.
Publication year - 1986
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/gl013i008p00809
Subject(s) - substorm , physics , dissipation , computational physics , arc (geometry) , electric field , nonlinear system , ionosphere , geophysics , magnetic field , mechanics , magnetosphere , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
A reduced circuit description of the U‐shaped potential structure of a discrete auroral arc, consisting of the flank transmission line plus parallel‐electric‐field region, is used to provide the boundary condition for 1‐d simulations of the double‐layer evolution. The model yields asymptotic scalings of the double‐layer potential, as a function of an anomalous transport coefficient α and of the perpendicular length scale l a of the arc. The arc potential ϕ DL scales approximately linearly with α, and for α fixed ϕ DL ∼ l a z . Using parameters appropriate to the auroral‐ zone acceleration region, potentials of ϕ DL ∼ 10 kV scale to projected ionospheric dimensions ∼ 1 km, with power flows of the order of magnitude of substorm dissipation rates.