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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 July 2016
Magnetic field observations in the dayside ionosphere of Venus revealed the magnetic flux ropes (Russell and Elphic 1979). General properties of these small-scale magnetic field structures can be explained by the theory of magnetic fluctuations excited by random hydrodynamic flows of ionospheric plasma.
A nonlinear theory of the flux tubes formation based on the Zeldovich's mechanism of amplification of the magnetic fluctuations is proposed. A nonlinear equation describing the evolution of the correlation function of the magnetic field can be derived from the induction equation, the nonlinearity being connected with the Hall effect. The large magnetic Reynolds number limit allows an asymptotic study by a modified WKB method.
On the basis of this theory it is possible to explain why the flux tubes are not observed if there is a strong regular large-scale magnetic field when the ionopause is low. The theory predicts the cross section of the flux ropes in the ionosphere of Venus and the maximum value of the magnetic field inside the flux tube.