Magnetic field dissipation in D-sheets
- Author:
- Scudder, J. D.
- Published:
- Feb 1, 1973.
- Physical Description:
- 1 electronic document
- Additional Creators:
- Burlaga, L. F.
- Access Online:
- hdl.handle.net
- Restrictions on Access:
- Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available.
- Summary:
- The effects of magnetic field annihilation at a tangential or rotational discontinuity in a resistive plasma are examined. The magnetic field intensity profile depends on (1) the field intensities far from the current sheet (+ and - infinity), (2) the angle between the two intensities, and (3) the electrical resistivity. For a tangential discontinuity, the theory predicts a depression in B, centered at the discontinuity, and it predicts a monotonic transition. The theory provides satisfactory fits to the magnetic field intensity and proton temperature profiles observed for two extremely broad D-sheets in the solar wind. Assuming a diffusion time 10 days, one obtains effective resistivities or approximately = 3 x 10 to the 12th power and 2 x 10 to the 13th power emu for the D-sheets. Either resistivity at directional discontinuities is much lower than 10 to the 12th power emu or annihilation does not always occur at discontinuities.
- Collection:
- NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Collection.
- Note:
- Document ID: 19730010086.
Accession ID: 73N18813.
NASA-TM-X-66187.
X-692-72-488. - Terms of Use and Reproduction:
- No Copyright.
- Access Online:
- hdl.handle.net
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