HR: 1340h
AN: SH44A-1712    [Abstracts]
TI: Effect of Oxygen on the Instability of Current Sheets
AU: * Karimabadi, H
EM: homak@sciberquest.com
AF: SciberQuest, Inc., Pacific Executive Plaza777 South Highway 101 Suite 108, Solana Beach, CA 92075, United States
AU: Daughton, W
EM: daughton@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Plasma Physics Group X-1 Applied Physics Division Los Alamos National Laboratory MS B259, Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States
AU: Kistler, L M
EM: lynn.kistler@unh.edu
AF: Univ of New Hampshire, SSC Morse Hall, Durham, NH 03824, United States
AB: Recent observations from the CLUSTER mission have shown that during geomagnetically disturbed times, the O+ number density in the plasma sheet close to the reconnection X-line in the Earth's magnetotail can become comparable to, or even higher than, the corresponding H+ number density and that the O+ ions carry most of the particle pressure [Kistler et al., 2005; Wygant et al. 2005]. The presence of O+ also has implications for transport processes at the magnetopause [e.g., Bouhram et al., 2005]. However, there has been no systematic kinetic study of effects of O+ on magnetic reconnection. Even something as basic as the linear properties of tearing mode in three-species plasma is currently lacking. This constitutes a major gap in theoretical understanding of reconnection in the magnetosphere and hampers understanding of spacecraft data. Using our nonlocal linear Vlasov code we have examined the effect of O+ on various current sheet instabilities such as lower hybrid drift instability and tearing mode. These results and their consequences for magnetic reconnection will be discussed.
DE: 2723 Magnetic reconnection (7526, 7835)
DE: 7526 Magnetic reconnection (2723, 7835)
DE: 7835 Magnetic reconnection (2723, 7526)
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting