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A cosmic-ray-driven plasma instability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2009

G. P. Zank
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Postfach 10 39 80, D-6900 Heidelberg 1, Federal Republic of Germany

Abstract

The stability of the MHD equations describing the mutual interaction of cosmic rays, thermal plasma, magnetic field and Alfvén waves used in cosmic-ray-shock acceleration theory (e.g. McKenzie & Völk 1982) is analysed for linear compressive instabilities. It is found that the inclusion of wave effects implies that the forward propagating sub-Alfvénic mode is unstable on wavelength scales greater than 1 parsec. The role of the instability in astrophysical models is considered.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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References

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