Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the presence of a stratified shear layer
Abstract
A nonlocal theory of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability which includes the effect of a transverse velocity shear is presented. A two fluid model is used to describe an inhomogeneous plasma under the influence of gravity and sheared equilibrium flow velocity, and to derive a differential equation describing the generalized Rayleigh-Taylor instability. An extensive parametric study is made in the collisionless and collisional regime, and the corresponding dispersion curves are presented. The results are applied to the equatorial F region and to barium releases in the ionosphere.
- Publication:
-
Unknown
- Pub Date:
- February 1984
- Bibcode:
- 1984rtip.rept.....S
- Keywords:
-
- Barium;
- Differential Equations;
- Earth Ionosphere;
- Equatorial Regions;
- F Region;
- Taylor Instability;
- Atmospheric Models;
- Gravitation;
- Plasma Diffusion;
- Plasmasphere;
- Releasing;
- Shear Properties;
- Stratification;
- Geophysics