Physics
Scientific paper
Nov 1998
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998stin...9914322c&link_type=abstract
Technical Report, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States
Physics
Conductive Heat Transfer, Electron Energy, Ionized Gases, Research, Mean Free Path, Aeronomy, Altitude, Electric Fields, Estimating, Free Electrons, Hypotheses, Neutral Particles, Planetary Ionospheres, Temperature Gradients, Venus (Planet), Venus Atmosphere
Scientific paper
Conditions for the applicability of the classical formula for heat conduction in the electrons in ionized gas are investigated. In a fully ionised gas ( Ven much greater than Vei), when the mean free path for electron-electron (or electron-ion) collisions is much larger than the characteristic thermal scale length of the observed system, the conditions for applicability break down. In the case of the Venus ionosphere this breakdown is indicated for a large fraction of the electron temperature data from altitudes greater than 180 km, for electron densities less than 104/cc cm. In a partially ionised gas such that Ven much greater than Vei there is breakdown of the formula not only when the mean free path of electrons greatly exceeds the thermal scale length, but also when the gradient of neutral particle density exceeds the electron thermal gradient. It is shown that electron heat conduction may be neglected in estimating the temperature of joule heated electrons by observed strong 100 Hz electric fields when the conduction flux is limited by the saturation flux. The results of this paper support our earlier aeronomical arguments against the hypothesis of planetary scale whistlers for the 100 Hz electric field signal. In turn this means that data from the 100 Hz signal may not be used to support the case for lightning on Venus.
Cole Keith D.
Hoegy Walter R.
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