On small-scale turbulence in cometary tails

Details On small-scale turbulence in cometary tails On small-scale turbulence in cometary tails

Mar 1979

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1979apj...228..935l&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, Part 1, vol. 228, Mar. 15, 1979, p. 935-938.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

5

Comet Tails, Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability, Magnetohydrodynamic Stability, Plasma Acceleration, Plasma Turbulence, Radio Sources (Astronomy), Magnetohydrodynamic Waves, Plasma Density, Plasma Temperature, Power Spectra, Radio Waves, Solar Wind Velocity

Scientific paper

Fluctuations in the intensity of radio waves during occultation by cometary tails indicate the existence of small-scale turbulence with wavenumber of approximately 12.5 nanokaysers in the comet's tail. It is suggested that the turbulence may be attributed to the hydromagnetic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability due to a strong velocity shear. The excited waves are, in general, a mixture of Alfven waves and fast magnetosonic waves. It is found that the instability may generate a turbulence spectrum with a peak at approximately 12.5 nanokaysers, which is consistent with observation. It is shown that the observed turbulence may scatter solar-wind protons, transfer momentum from the solar wind to the plasma in the comet's tail, and give an acceleration of about 30 to 300 cm/sec per sec for the cometary ions.

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