Numerical Modeling of the Time Evolution of Super-Small-Scale Irregularities in the Near-Earth Rarefied Plasma

Abstract

The time evolution of the magnetic field aligned super-small-scale irregularities in the concentration of charged particles, existing in the near-Earth rarefied plasma, is studied with the help of the model simulation. A new version of the two-dimensional mathematical model, developed earlier in the Polar Geophysical Institute, is utilized to investigate the temporal history of the irregularity with circular cross section, created initially in the near-Earth plasma. The utilized model is based on a numerical solution of the Vlasov-Poisson system of equations, with the Vlasov equations describing the distribution functions of charged particles and the Poisson equation governing the self-consistent electric field. The results of simulation indicate that the mobility of the positive ions ought to influence essentially on the time evolution of the super-small-scale irregularities in the concentration of charged particles, existing in the near-Earth rarefied plasma.