Physics
Scientific paper
Jun 1978
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1978georl...5..465a&link_type=abstract
Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 5, June 1978, p. 465-468.
Physics
2
Current Sheets, Electric Fields, Magnetic Fields, Magnetohydrodynamic Flow, Plasma Conductivity, Auroral Arcs, Energy Transfer, Equipotentials, Flow Distribution, Lines Of Force, Magnetic Effects
Scientific paper
It is suggested that merging and slippage should occur simultaneously in a magnetized plasma, since the shape, size, and orientation of regions of finite conductivity are determined by local plasma and field properties, so that any shape and orientation of the region of finite conductivity is possible within the tangential discontinuity. The conditions under which either merging or slippage dominate are described. (Both mechanisms transform magnetic energy to plasma energy at a tangential discontinuity.) Two-dimensional merging is qualitatively examined, and the three-dimensional case in which the neutral line has a limited length is discussed. The slippage mechanism is studied with reference to the situation in auroral arcs and the role of the ionosphere. It is suggested that patches of finite conductivity which are not greatly elongated in any direction are of common occurrence, which is why both merging (associated with elongation in the direction of current flow) and slippage (associated with elongation perpendicular to current flow) would occur simultaneously.
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