Ion-ion kink instability in the magnetotail: Linear Theory, Simulations and Comparison with Observations

Details Ion-ion kink instability in the magnetotail: Linear Theory, Simulations and Comparison with Observations Ion-ion kink instability in the magnetotail: Linear Theory, Simulations and Comparison with Observations

Dec 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003agufmsh32c..02n&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2003, abstract #SH32C-02

Physics

2471 Plasma Waves And Instabilities, 2700 Magnetospheric Physics, 2744 Magnetotail, 7843 Numerical Simulation Studies

Scientific paper

The magnetotail current layer is subject to a variety of instabilities. One of these is the ion-ion kink mode, arising from the presence of two ion populations - the cold lobe ions and the current-carrying hot plasma sheet ions. We have used linear theory, 3D hybrid (fluid electron, kinetic ions), and full particle simulations to examine the properties of ion-ion kink mode. We find that this mode is primarily driven by a velocity shear arising from the presence of multiple ion populations. The instability saturates as a result of broadening of the current layer and reduction of the velocity shear. This instability, however, differs in important aspects from the standard Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI). Its linear mode properties exhibit dependencies on the kinetic details of the secondary ion population and its nonlinear evolution is found to be significantly different from previous MHD and Hall MHD treatments of the instability as well as from the KHI. In particular, the usual formation of vortices and coalescence that occur for the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability are absent for the ion-ion kink mode. Recent Cluster observations of modulated and bifurcated current sheets are discussed within the context of the ion-ion kink mode. Hybrid simulations with open boundary conditions and using the parameters for this event demonstrate a very good agreement between the wavelength, period, and amplitude of the ion-ion kink mode and the observed wave-like disturbance. It is shown that the observed "bifurcated" current sheet can be explained in terms of a traveling kink mode in which the current layer has a single continuous displacement into both hemispheres.

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