Weak double layers in the auroral ionosphere

Abstract

Previous work on the evolution of weak double layers in a hydrogen plasma has been extended to include H⁺ and O⁺ with relative drift. It has been shown (Bergmann & Lotko 1986) that the relative drift between hydrogen and oxygen ions due to a quasistatic parallel electric field gives rise to a strong linear fluid instability which dominates the ion acoustic mode at the bottom of the auroral acceleration region. This ion–ion instability can modify ion distributions at lower altitudes and the subsequent nonlinear evolution of weak double layers at higher altitudes in the ion acoustic regime. We have found that ion hole formation can occur for smaller relative electron-ion drifts than seen in previous simulations, due to the hydrogen-oxygen two-stream instability. This results in local modification of the ion distributions in phase space, and a partial filling of the valley between the hydrogen and oxygen peaks, which would be expected at higher altitudes on auroral field lines. It is shown that the observed velocity diffusion does not necessarily preclude ion hole and double layer formation in hydrogen in the ion acoustic regime. These simulation results are consistent with the experimentally measured persistence of separate hydrogen and oxygen peaks, and the observation of weak double layers above an altitude of 3000 km on auroral field lines.