Nonlinear evolution of dust waves driven by cross-field electron currents

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TR Number
Date
2003-02-19
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Abstract

The nonlinear evolution of dust waves generated by a low-frequency Hall current instability in a magnetized collisional dusty plasma is investigated with theory and nonlinear numerical simulations. This instability is believed to have broad applications to irregularity production in regions where dust is present in the earth's ionosphere such as noctilucent clouds and meteor trails. The instability is driven by an electron (E) over right arrow x (B) over right arrow current and is an analog, in the dust acoustic type wave regime, of the well-known Farley-Buneman instability. The results indicate that the instability nonlinearly saturates with dust heating and the production of secondary waves that propagate in a direction perpendicular to the primary dust acoustic type waves.

Description
Keywords
Farley-Buneman instability, Hall current instability, Mesosphere, Plasma, Saturation
Citation
Scales, W. A., and G. S. Chae (2003), Nonlinear evolution of dust waves driven by cross-field electron currents, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30, 1157, doi:10.1029/2002GL016191