Noise in the Neutral Sheet in the Geomagnetic Tail.
Abstract
An instability which could cause noise in the neutral sheet is proposed. The starting point is the self-consistent model of the undisturbed sheet developed in the absence of a normal component of magnetic field by Cowley. In this steady state the electrons trapped in the field reversal region move across the tail from dusk to dawn, undergoing acceleration in the cross tail electric field at the dusk end. After emerging from the acceleration region only ions in this region are relatively cold. The authors found that a wave propagating at an angle to the normal of the current sheet can be unstable due to a double jump in the velocity distribution. Resonating electrons give energy to the wave, while the wave energy probably leads to heating of the cold ion background. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1972
- Accession Number
- AD0738316
Entities
People
- James W. Dungey
Organizations
- Imperial College London