Dynamics of three dimensional ionospheric plasma clouds

The first self-consistent, three-dimensional analysis of plasma cloud evolution in the ionosphere is presented. It is demonstrated that there is a preferred perpendicular scale size associated with 3D plasma clouds given by rc{~}c(Tₑ+Tᵢ)/eBz{V}ₙΓc, where rc is the cloud radius, T_α is the temperature of the {α} species, Bz is the ambient magnetic field, and Vₙ is the neutral wind speed, and Γc1/ {}2 .