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Theory and simulations of whistler wave propagation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2009

DASTGEER SHAIKH
DASTGEER SHAIKH*
Affiliation:
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP), University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA ([email protected])
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Abstract

A linear theory of whistler waves is developed within the paradigm of a two-dimensional incompressible electron magnetohydrodynamics model. Exact analytic wave solutions are obtained for small-amplitude whistler waves that exhibit magnetic field topological structures consistent with the observations and our simulations in a linear regime. In agreement with experiment, we find that the parallel group velocity of the wave is large compared to its perpendicular counterpart. Numerical simulations of collisional interactions demonstrate that the wave magnetic field either coalesces or repels depending upon the polarity of the associated current. In the nonlinear regime, our simulations demonstrate that the evolution of the wave magnetic field is governed essentially by the nonlinear Hall force.

Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Plasma Physics , Volume 75 , Issue 1 , February 2009 , pp. 117 - 132
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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