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Collisionless tearing instability in magnetotail plasmasThe problem of the linear stability of collisionless tearing modes in the earth's magnetotail is revisited. It is found that the collisionless tearing mode is linearly unstable with wavelengths of the order of 10 R(E). It is shown that an important feature neglected in earlier theories is a nonzero equilibrium B(y)-field. The physics of the instability is elucidated in the context of a simple slab model and a sheared parabolic model which is representative of the magnetotail in which all three components of the magnetic field are nonzero. The dispersion equation for the instability is obtained by a boundary-layer analysis. The implications of the theory for recent observations on current disruption and diversion during substorms is discussed.
Document ID
19900063373
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Wang, Xiaogang
(Columbia Univ. New York, NY, United States)
Bhattacharjee, A.
(Columbia University New York, United States)
Lui, A. T. Y.
(Johns Hopkins University Laurel, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
September 1, 1990
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 95
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
90A50428
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF ATM-86-11354
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-1610
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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