The effect of finite 'blob' size on the current convective instability in the auroral ionosphere

Details The effect of finite 'blob' size on the current convective instability in the auroral ionosphere The effect of finite 'blob' size on the current convective instability in the auroral ionosphere

Jun 1986

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1986jgr....91.7125h&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research (ISSN 0148-0227), vol. 91, June 1, 1986, p. 7125-7130. DNA-Navy-supported research.

Physics

3

Auroral Zones, F Region, Ionospheric Currents, Ionospheric Disturbances, Plasma Density, Linear Equations, Magnetic Fields, Particle Motion, Radio Signals, Scintillation

Scientific paper

It has been suggested that the current convective instability may be responsible for the structuring, i.e., generation of density irregularities, of density enhancements (known as 'blobs') in the auroral ionosphere. However, previous theories have neglected the finite extent of the 'blob' along the geomagnetic field. In this paper a nonlocal theory of the current convective instability is developed which considers the finite extent of an ionospheric 'blob' parallel to the geomagnetic field. It is found that the growth rate of the instability can be substantially reduced in the finite-sized 'blob' case from the value obtained in the local approximation for an infinitely long blob. For auroral ionosphere parameters, the reduction in the growth rate for medium-scale irregularities (1-10 km) can be 1 to 2 orders of magnitude for the typical observed values of 'blob' sizes (approximately a few hundred kilometers). Thus it appears that the current convective instability is not a viable mechanism to generate scintillation causing irregularities, i.e. 1- to 10-km irregularities.

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