HR: 1330h
AN: SM43A-07    [Abstracts]
TI: The Stress Tensor in the Current Sheet and the MHD Closure
AU: * Doxas, I
EM: doxas@colorado.edu
AF: Center for Integrated Plasma Studies, University of Colorado, UCB 390, Boulder, CO 80309 United States
AU: Horton, W
EM: horton@physics.utexas.edu
AF: Institute for Fusion Studies, University of Texas, RLM 11.380, Austin, TX 78712 United States
AB: MHD closure of the moment equations neglects divergence of the off-diagonal elements of the stress tensor, Π, as well as the divergence of the heat flux ∇ q. In the center of the plasma sheet the local ion gyroradius becomes large, and q and Π become important components of the current sheet energy and momentum balance. Particle simulations have been used to calculate the contribution of the off-diagonal elements of the stress tensor to the current sheet force balance using a time dependent tearing mode model. The simulations have a large enough number of particles to calculate higher order moments reliably. Results show that force balance in the current sheet can be dominated by the off-diagonal elements of the stress tensor which are neglected by the MHD closure.
DE: 2744 Magnetotail
DE: 2764 Plasma sheet
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly