Solar wind interaction with comet 67P: impacts of 1 corotating interaction regions sorry no link
For those who are interested,
here is Niklas's paper on CIR and 67P
Still there is nothing "electric" (in the thunderdolts meaning) to this interaction. The solar wind, with its magnetic field, it transported to the outgassing comet, where it gets mass-loaded and slowed down. The further parts of the field lines continue with the solar wind velocity and so the field drapes around the comet, creating e.g. the ion tail. If a CIR or a CME arrives, then there is a pressure pulse, which will compress the induced magnetosphere (see also
Volwerk et al.).
Flux tubes can easily be created, and even exist in the solar wind, so it would come as not real surprise that one can find them in a comets coma, as that is created by the solar wind magnetic field. Also, nested draping, i.e. that field with different directions are "on top of each other" in the draping region can lead to magnetic reconnection, which can lead to the generation of flux tubes. Although, because of the high plasma density in the coma, the reconnection rate will be greatly reduced. (see my upcoming review paper on "Currents in cometary comae).
Are we ok to call plasma boundaries = Double Layers
flux ropes = field aligned currents (Birkeland Currents)
Well, I am not surprised that you are confused, plasma physics is not for the weak of heart. And just dropping terms, like you do, without knowledge of how to use them is, well, ...
No, plasma boundaries does not equate "double layers". I am still wondering about what is so special about double layers. However, a quick look at the magnetic field data will show that the field is very very turbulent, and thus the creation of a double layer is very unlikely.
Flux ropes indeed have field aligned currents, out of necessity of Ampère's law. These are not "Birkeland currents" because these specific currents in the magnetosphere of planets.
RPC observation of the development and evolution of plasma interaction boundaries at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Yes, the paper by
Kathy Mandt et al. discusses plasma boundaries, however, the broad boundary that you quote is a collisionopause, a boundary between two regions where in one collisions are not important and in the other collisions are dominant.
Not sure what you want to claim here, probably that it is a double layer or so. If you want to claim this you will have to show that a DL can be formed and you will have to show that the boundary thickness is appropriate for the thickness of DL, you will have to show that the ion and electron populations agree with what one expects for a DL, etc. etc. I guess we will hear from you again after you downloaded the data from PSA and did your analysis.
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