Abstract
The folding phenomenon of the comet tail rays is explained by means of an electric drift due to convectional electric fields. This mechanism results in an angular rate of closure which reduces to that obtained by Ness and Donn (1966) if the velocity profile across the tail is linear and the plasma conductivity is ideal. Observations of both the ray closure and the disconnection events point to the phenomenon of anomalous resistivity. Magnetic field of about 30–40γ in the coma and of 10γ in the distant tail (at 1 AU) is estimated from the MHD momentum equation.
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© 1981 D. Reidel Publishing Company
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Ershkovich, A.I. (1981). On the Mechanism of Ray Closure in Comet Tails. In: Ponnamperuma, C. (eds) Comets and the Origin of Life. Proceedings of the College Park Colloquia, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8528-5_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8528-5_9
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