Nonlinear Periodic Wave Structures in the Dusty Earth’s Ionosphere

Abstract

In the Earth’s atmosphere at altitudes of 80–120 km during high-speed meteor showers, conditions are created for the appearance of a dusty plasma system. As a result of the development of the modulation instability of the electromagnetic waves, in the dusty ionospheric plasma, linear and nonlinear dust acoustic waves can be excited. The new phenomenon observed above the Scandinavian countries, the so-called dunes, which are, in fact, periodic wave structures that extend to far distances in the horizontal direction and have a characteristic spatial period of about 45 km, can be one of the manifestations of the nonlinear dust acoustic waves. The maximum number of dunes was recorded in October, when the Draconids meteor shower is observed. We consider the nonlinear periodic dust acoustic waves that can develop in the dusty plasma with parameters that correspond to the ionospheric plasma during meteor showers.