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Mirror instability in the magnetosphere of comet Halley
Author(s) -
Russell C. T.,
Riedler W.,
Schwingenschuh K.,
Yeroshenko Ye.
Publication year - 1987
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/gl014i006p00644
Subject(s) - instability , magnetosheath , physics , magnetosphere , comet , halley's comet , plasma , astrophysics , comet tail , astronomy , geophysics , astrobiology , solar wind , mechanics , magnetopause , nuclear physics
High resolution VEGA 1 and 2 magnetic measurements in the cometary magnetosphere and magnetosheath of Halley reveal the presence of fluctuations with the signature expected for the mirror instability. This instability is a mechanism by which homogeneously produced cometary ions with a large perpendicular temperature anisotropy can be concentrated into discrete linear features. Thus, the mirror instability may provide a new mechanism for the generation of cometary rays. To our knowledge the presence of this instability in the cometary plasma was not predicted.