HR: 1340h
AN: SM23A-0484    [Abstracts]
TI: Effect of cross-field flow on Alfv\'{e}n waves of small transverse scale.
AU: * Tonge, J
EM: tonge@physics.ucla.edu
AF: UCLA, Box 951505, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1505 United States
AU: Tsung, F S
EM: tsung@physics.ucla.edu
AF: UCLA, Box 951505, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1505 United States
AU: Morales, G J
EM: morales@physics.ucla.edu
AF: UCLA, Box 951505, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1505 United States
AB: The interaction of short-scale Alfv\'{e}n waves with large-scale, cross-field flows may be a source of nonlinear phenomena that results in electron acceleration and ion heating in the magnetosphere, and the auroral ionosphere. The phenomena can also be studied in laboratory experiments. An electromagnetic particle-in-cell (PIC) code, PARSEC, is used to identify key features of these interactions by simulation of the propagation of a shear Alfv\'{e}n wave having transverse scale on the order of the electron skin-depth through regions with a prescribed ExB plasma flow. The flow is expected to convect the Alfv\'{e}n wave and to cause filamentation of the parallel current for flow speeds that exceed a threshold value. These processes are investigated for the kinetic as well as the inertial regime of propagation.
DE: 2704 Auroral phenomena (2407)
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting