Publication Date:
2019-06-27
Description:
A class of two-dimensional drift-free fields, somewhat resembling the configuration found in the geomagnetic tail, is described; several proofs of the drift-free property are given, including some that suggest that the property of vanishing net drift might extend to nonadiabatic orbits. A general criterion for identifying drift-free fields was developed, and a case of motion in a nearly drift-free field was also investigated. The theory was applied to the plasma sheet in the earth's magnetotail, and observational evidence is presented suggesting that the magnetic field there does approach a drift-free configuration.
Keywords:
PLASMA PHYSICS
Type:
NASA-TM-X-70884
,
X-602-75-105
,
X-602-75-15
Format:
application/pdf
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