Open AccessNUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF LARGE SCALE EQUATORIAL SPREAD F
Author(s) -
Huang Chao-Song,
M. C. Kelley
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
wuli xuebao
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 47
ISSN - 1000-3290
DOI - 10.7498/aps.45.1930
Subject(s) - physics , instability , perturbation (astronomy) , plasma , nonlinear system , mechanics , bubble , classical mechanics , quantum mechanics
We have performed numerical simulations of nonlinear evolution of plasma interchange instability in equatorial spread F(ESF) under different conditions. It is shown that the interchange instability resulting from one-or two-dimensional initial density perturbations can grow into plasma bubbles but cannot evolve into the plumelike structures on the west wall of a plasma bubble .The production of plasma bubbles initiated by gravity waves takes a much shorter time than that resulting from two-dimensional density perturbations. When both a gravity wave and a smaller scale initial density perturbation are used,it is found that the large scale gravity wave determines the outer scale of ESF irregularities and the smaller scale perturbation results in the plumelike structures preferentially located on the west wall. The numerical results show a good agreement with observations.