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1997

Tikhonchuk, V. T., Voronkov, I., Frycz, P., Samson, J. C., Rankin, Robert

The nonlinear dynamics of a shear flow and its subsequent evolution in the equatorial plane of the inner plasma sheet is studied. A linear analysis of the ideal MHD equations reveals a hybrid vortex instability which appears because of the coupling of Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) and Rayleigh-Taylor...

2005

Mann, I. R., Kabin, Konstantin, Donovan, E. F., Lu, J. Y., Rankin, Robert, Rae, I. Jonathan, Marchand, Richard

We present theory and ground-based observations of field-line resonances (FLRs) excited in Earth's magnetosphere. Three FLR observations are reported, which correspond to large-scale standing shear Alfven wave (SAW) oscillations on nightside field lines extending from premidnight to close to...

1994

Tikhonchuk, V. T., Frycz, P., Samson, J. C., Rankin, Robert

We present theory and numerical simulations of strong nonlinear effects in standing shear Alfven waves (SAWs) in the Earth's magnetosphere, which is modeled as a finite size box with straight magnetic lines and (partially) reflecting boundaries. In a low beta plasma it is shown that the...

2005

Watt, Clare E. J., Wright, D. M. , Rankin, Robert, Rae, I. Jonathan

We present self-consistent kinetic simulations of the electron response to finite duration shear Alfven wave pulses in a magnetized plasma. In Earth's magnetosphere, the evidence suggests that parallel electric fields in inertial scale shear Alfven waves can accelerate electrons in the...