Recent Results on Cleavage, Bifurcation and Cascade Mechanisms in Ionospheric Plasma Clouds.
Abstract
Cleavage, bifurcation, and cascade mechanisms are investigated in the evolution of striating ionospheric plasma clouds which are subject to the gradient drift instability. The numerical simulations are based on a one-level, two-dimensional model. An initially one dimensional Gaussian-like cloud with a smooth perturbation cleaves and spontaneously develops nonlinear bifurcations of the original perturbation thus forming secondary perturbations (striations). This represents a cascade from longer to shorter wavelength structures. An initially presteepened two dimensional cloud without initial perturbation cleaves and bifurcates to form a protuberance in the cleavage trough. These results demonstrate that cleavage is an inherent process in the evolution of striated ionospheric plasma clouds and plays an important role in the characterization of the late-time nuclear striation power spectrum. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1977
- Accession Number
- ADA045235
Entities
People
- N. J. Zabusky
- Sidney L. Ossakow
- Steven T.P. Zalesak
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory