Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Jul 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003jgra..108.1291p&link_type=abstract
Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, Volume 108, Issue A7, pp. SMP 15-1, CiteID 1291, DOI 10.1029/2003JA009888
Physics
Plasma Physics
15
Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosphere/Ionosphere Interactions, Space Plasma Physics: Wave/Wave Interactions, Magnetospheric Physics: Plasma Convection, Space Plasma Physics: Turbulence
Scientific paper
We consider the excitation of convective cells in the parametric decay of finite amplitude (inertial) Alfvén waves. We formulate a set of coupled equations describing the nonlinear interaction of Alfvén waves and the electrostatic convective mode and obtain the nonlinear dispersion relation for electrostatic convection cells. Generation of convection cells takes place only when dispersive effects due to the electron skin depth come into play. The generation of such cells is due to the Reynolds stresses of short-scale Alfvén waves. These are nonzero when the perpendicular Alfvén wavelengths are of the order of the collisionless electron skin depth. The convective cells are nonoscillatory two-dimensional modes with wave vector perpendicular to that of the pump Alfvén wave. The nonlinear growth rate of these cells is a sensitive function (proportional to k 5) of the wave number k of the Alfvénic pump wave. This implies that the instability transfers wave energy from the short wavelength regime of the inertial Alfvén wave to the long wavelength regime of the convective cells which is typical for an inverse turbulent cascade. We also discuss the relation of the new parametric regime to the parametric wave-wave interaction of two counterstreaming inertial Alfvén waves. Application to satellite observations of inertial Alfvén waves in the auroral ionosphere shows agreement of the scales and explains the observed large amplitudes of the waves. It is shown that convective cells produced by the parametric instability could cause the fine structure of the turbulent Alfvén boundary layer and can play an important role in the ionospheric plasma turbulence as well as the energy source for auroral structures.
Onishchenko Oleg G.
Pokhotelov Oleg A.
Sagdeev Roal'd. Z.
Treumann Rudolf A.
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