Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in an anisotropic magneto-plasma in the presence of inhomogeneous perpendicular electric field and parallel flow velocity shear

Abstract

Electrostatic Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instability by parallel flow velocity shear in the presence of perpendicular inhomogeneous d.c. electric field and density gradient has been investigated by characteristic method using details of particle trajectories. The dispersion relation and growth rate are obtained. The growth rate has been evaluated in the long wavelength region for plasma parameters suited to magnetopause. The velocity shear is found to be the main driving force of this instability in addition to the temperature anisotropy and temperature ratios of electron and ion. The electric field inhomogeneity has destabilizing effect on K-H instability.