Preliminary Report In Numerical Simulation Of Type Ii Irregularities In The Equatorial Electrojet

Nonlinear Simulations of Type I Irregularities in the Equatorial Electrojet

Preliminary Report in Numerical Simulation of Type II Irregularities in the Equatorial Electrojet

A computer simulation accounts for some of the observed features of short wavelength irregularities in the equatorial electrojet. Two dimensional fluid equations for ion number density, velocity, and electrostatic potential are solved in the rest frame of the neutral atmosphere. The initial configuration is gradient-drift unstable. Growth of small amplitude fluctuations agrees with linear theory. When the density fluctuation reaches about 5%, nonlinear effects become noticeable. As the instability grows, the flow becomes similar to 2D turbulence. The late time spectral power decreases as K to the minus 3.5 power in agreement with theory and observations. (Author).

Report of NRL Progress