Numerical Simulation of the Time Evolution of Small-Scale Irregularities in the F-Layer Ionospheric Plasma

Abstract EN

Dynamics of magnetic field-aligned small-scale irregularities in the electron concentration, existing in the F-layer ionospheric plasma, is investigated with the help of a mathematical model.

The plasma is assumed to be a rarefied compound consisting of electrons and positive ions and being in a strong, external magnetic field.

In the applied model, kinetic processes in the plasma are simulated by using the Vlasov-Poisson system of equations.

The system of equations is numerically solved applying a macroparticle method.

The time evolution of a plasma irregularity, having initial cross-section dimension commensurable with a Debye length, is simulated during the period sufficient for the irregularity to decay completely.

The results of simulation indicate that the small-scale irregularity, created initially in the F-region ionosphere, decays accomplishing periodic damped vibrations, with the process being collisionless.