Simulations and Theory of Small Scale E-region Turbulence

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Plasma instabilities and turbulence in the auroral and equatorial electrojet currents are investigated using numerical simulations. The particle-in-cell (PIC) simulator is expanded to 3-dimensional capability using new parallel computing capability, and the three dimensional simulations are the first such 3-D descriptions of kinetic E-region turbulence. The mechanisms by which thermal gradients within waves and within the ambient atmosphere drive or modify wave growth and wave evolution are revealed in this new 3-D simulation. By consequence of the new insights gleaned from the simulators, interpretation of radar echos from E-region instabilities becomes more precise, and the diagnostic and predictive capabilities of the Aeronomy and Space-Weather communities are enhanced. Improved numerical plasma simulators are useful to many aspects of applied and theoretical plasma physics research, and this research is expected to benefit a large cross-section of the plasmasphere community.