On a new process for cusp irregularity production

Two plasma instability mechanisms were thought until 2007 to dominate the formation of plasma irregularities in the F region high latitude and polar ionosphere; the gradient-drift driven instability, and the velocity-shear driven instability. The former mechanism was accepted as accounting for p...

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Main Authors: H. C. Carlson, K. Oksavik, J. Moen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2008-09-01
Series:Annales Geophysicae
Online Access:https://www.ann-geophys.net/26/2871/2008/angeo-26-2871-2008.pdf
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author H. C. Carlson
H. C. Carlson
K. Oksavik
J. Moen
author_facet H. C. Carlson
H. C. Carlson
K. Oksavik
J. Moen
author_sort H. C. Carlson
collection DOAJ
description Two plasma instability mechanisms were thought until 2007 to dominate the formation of plasma irregularities in the F region high latitude and polar ionosphere; the gradient-drift driven instability, and the velocity-shear driven instability. The former mechanism was accepted as accounting for plasma structuring in polar cap patches, the latter for plasma structuring in polar cap sun aligned arcs. Recent work has established the need to replace this view of the past two decades with a new patch plasma structuring process (not a new mechanism), whereby shear-driven instabilities first rapidly structure the entering plasma, after which gradient drift instabilities build on these large "seed" irregularities. Correct modeling of cusp and early polar cap patch structuring will not be accomplished without allowing for this compound process. This compound process explains several previously unexplained characteristics of cusp and early polar cap patch irregularities. Here we introduce additional data, coincident in time and space, to extend that work to smaller irregularity scale sizes and relate it to the structured cusp current system.
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spelling doaj.art-36fd0daec9c94cb387cf9495eda671e32022-12-22T02:35:28ZengCopernicus PublicationsAnnales Geophysicae0992-76891432-05762008-09-01262871288510.5194/angeo-26-2871-2008On a new process for cusp irregularity productionH. C. Carlson0H. C. Carlson1K. Oksavik2J. Moen3Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayUtah State University, CASS, Logan, UT, USAArctic Geophysics, The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, NorwayDepartment of Physics, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayTwo plasma instability mechanisms were thought until 2007 to dominate the formation of plasma irregularities in the F region high latitude and polar ionosphere; the gradient-drift driven instability, and the velocity-shear driven instability. The former mechanism was accepted as accounting for plasma structuring in polar cap patches, the latter for plasma structuring in polar cap sun aligned arcs. Recent work has established the need to replace this view of the past two decades with a new patch plasma structuring process (not a new mechanism), whereby shear-driven instabilities first rapidly structure the entering plasma, after which gradient drift instabilities build on these large "seed" irregularities. Correct modeling of cusp and early polar cap patch structuring will not be accomplished without allowing for this compound process. This compound process explains several previously unexplained characteristics of cusp and early polar cap patch irregularities. Here we introduce additional data, coincident in time and space, to extend that work to smaller irregularity scale sizes and relate it to the structured cusp current system.https://www.ann-geophys.net/26/2871/2008/angeo-26-2871-2008.pdf
spellingShingle H. C. Carlson
H. C. Carlson
K. Oksavik
J. Moen
On a new process for cusp irregularity production
Annales Geophysicae
title On a new process for cusp irregularity production
title_full On a new process for cusp irregularity production
title_fullStr On a new process for cusp irregularity production
title_full_unstemmed On a new process for cusp irregularity production
title_short On a new process for cusp irregularity production
title_sort on a new process for cusp irregularity production
url https://www.ann-geophys.net/26/2871/2008/angeo-26-2871-2008.pdf
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