Longitudinal and seasonal variation of the equatorial flux tube integrated Rayleigh‐Taylor instability growth rate

Using the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM), the ionospheric Rayleigh‐Taylor instability growth rate is calculated. The seasonal and longitudinal variations of the growth rate from the TIEGCM appear to match that of the spread F observed by various satellite missions. The growth rate is strongly dependent on the angle between the sunset terminator and the geomagnetic field line near the magnetic equator. The TIEGCM simulations with nonmigrating tides show the zonal wave number 4 structure in the Rayleigh‐Taylor instability due to the inclusion of the nonmigrating diurnal eastward zonal wave number 3 and semidiurnal eastward zonal wave number 2 tides.