Kinetic effects on the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in ion-to- magnetohydrodynamic scale transverse velocity shear layers: Particle simulations

Abstract

Ion-to-magnetohydrodynamic scale physics of the transverse velocity shear layer and associated Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) in a homogeneous, collisionless plasma are investigated by means of full particle simulations. The shear layer is broadened to reach a kinetic equilibrium when its initial thickness is close to the gyrodiameter of ions crossing the layer, namely, of ion-kinetic scale. The broadened thickness is larger in B·Ω <0 case than in B·Ω > 0 case, where Ω is the vorticity at the layer. This is because the convective electric field, which points out of (into) the layer for B · Ω <0 (B · Ω >0), extends (reduces) the gyrodiameters. Since the kinetic equilibrium is established before the KHI onset, the KHI growth rate depends on the broadened thickness. In the saturation phase of the KHI, the ion vortex flow is strengthened (weakened) for B · Ω <0 (B · Ω > 0), due to ion centrifugal drift along the rotational plasma flow. In ion inertial scale vortices, this drift effect is crucial in altering the ion vortex size. These results indicate that the KHI at Mercury-like ion-scale magnetospheric boundaries could show clear dawn-dusk asymmetries in both its linear and nonlinear growth. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.