Abstract
The evolution of weakly nonlinear electrostatic drift waves in an externally imposed strong homogeneous magnetic field is investigated numerically in three spatial dimensions. The analysis is based on a set of coupled, nonlinear equations, which are solved for an initial condition which is perturbed by a small amplitude incoherent wave–field. The initial evolution is exponential, following the growth of perturbations predicted by linear stability theory. The fluctuations saturate at relatively high amplitudes, by forming a pair of magnetic field aligned vortex–like structures of opposite polarity, i.e. a pair of electrostatic convective cells.
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