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The effect of mass loading on the temperature of a flowing plasma
Author(s) -
Linker Jon A.,
Kivelson Margaret G.,
Walker Raymond J.
Publication year - 1989
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/gl016i007p00763
Subject(s) - magnetohydrodynamic drive , magnetohydrodynamics , plasma , mach number , physics , mechanics , mass flow rate , mass flow , ion , flow (mathematics) , atomic physics , thermodynamics , materials science , nuclear physics , quantum mechanics
We have investigated how the addition of ions at rest (mass loading) affects the temperature of a flowing plasma in a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) approximation, using analytic theory and time dependent, three‐dimensional MHD simulations of plasma flow past Io. The MHD equations show that the temperature can increase or decrease relative to the background, depending on the local sonic Mach number ( M S ) of the flow. For flows with M S > √9/5 ( when γ = 5/3), mass loading increases the plasma temperature. However, the simulations show a non‐linear response to the addition of mass. If the mass loading rate is large enough, the temperature increase may be smaller than expected, or the temperature may actually decrease, because a large mass loading rate slows the flow and decreases the thermal energy of the newly created plasma.