Generation of zonal flow and magnetic field by coupled Rossby–Alfvén–Khantadze waves in the Earth's ionospheric E-layer

Abstract

It is shown that in the Earth's weakly ionized ionospheric E-layer with the dominant Hall conductivity, a new type of coupled Rossby–Alfvén–Khantadze (CRAK) electromagnetic (EM) planetary waves, attributable by the latitudinal inhomogeneity of both the Earth's Coriolis parameter and the geomagnetic field, can exist. Under such coupling, a new type of dispersive Alfvén waves is revealed. The generation of a sheared zonal flow and a magnetic field by CRAK EM planetary waves is investigated. The nonlinear mechanism of the instability is based on the parametric excitation of a zonal flow by interacting four waves, leading to the inverse energy cascade in the direction of a longer wavelength. A three-dimensional (3D) set of coupled equations describing the nonlinear interaction of pumping CRAK waves and zonal flow is derived. The growth rate of the corresponding instability and the conditions for driving them are determined. It is found that the growth rate is mainly stipulated by Rossby waves but the generation of the intense mean magnetic field is caused by Alfvén waves.