Nonlinear analysis of the gradient drift instability

An analytical study of the gradient drift instability in the equatorial electrojet of wavelengths in the order of one kilometer is presented. Different mechanisms, linear, non-local and turbulent, are found in the literature to explain the predominance of the 1 km wavelength in the electrojet. In the present work a simplified model is proposed in which the nonlinear evolution of three coupled modes is followed. By considering that one of the modes attains the stationary state, the evolution of the other two is obtained, and it is found that they follow equations of the Lotka–Volterra type. A stable stationary nonlinear solution for these equations is also found, and the conditions under which periodic solutions are possible are analyzed.