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Plasma wave turbulence in the strong coupling region at comet Giacobini‐Zinner
Author(s) -
Coroniti F. V.,
Kennel C. F.,
Scarf F. L.,
Smith E. J.,
Tsurutani B. T.,
Bame S. J.,
Thomsen M. F.,
Hynds R.,
Wenzel K. P.
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/gl013i008p00869
Subject(s) - physics , instability , wave turbulence , two stream instability , magnetic field , plasma , comet , amplitude , turbulence , ion , waves in plasmas , streaming instability , computational physics , atomic physics , astrophysics , optics , mechanics , nuclear physics , solar system , planetesimal , quantum mechanics
Within 10 5 km of comet Giacobini‐Zinner's nucleus, strong plasma wave turbulence was detected by the ICE electric and magnetic field wave instruments. The spatial profiles of the wave amplitudes are compared with measurements of the heavy ion fluxes of cometary origin, the plasma electron density, and the magnetic field strength. The general similarity of the wave and heavy ion profiles suggest that the waves might be generated by free energy in the pick‐up ion distribution function. However, the expected parallel streaming instability of electrostatic modes generates waves with frequencies that are too low to explain the observations. The observed low frequency magnetic turbulence is plausibly explained by the lower hybrid loss‐cone instability of heavy ions.