Abstract
Previous calculations of electrostatic and electromagnetic growth rates for plasma instabilities have neglected the thermal spread of the distribution function of the planetary ions. We consider the effects of finite temperatures for exospheric ions born in the solar wind. Specifically, growth rates are calculated for electromagnetic instabilities in the low‐frequency case for Alfven waves and the intermediate frequency case for whistlers. Also, electrostatic growth rates are calculated for the intermediate frequency regime. From these growth rates, estimates are derived for the pickup times of the planetary ions. The electromagnetic instabilities are shown to produce the most rapid pickup. In the situation where the angle between the local Venus magnetic field and the plasma flow direction is small, the pickup times for both electromagnetic and electrostatic instabilities become very long. A possible consequence of this effect is to produce regions of enhanced planetary ion density in favorable Venus magnetic field‐solar wind flow geometries.
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