Similarity in the flow of a magnetized plasma around a plate and a cylinder

The article is devoted to a verification of the law of similarity in the flow of a rarefied magnetized plasma around a body under conditions which simulate the conditions of flow around artificial earth satellites in the ionosphere. The law of similarity for flow around plates and cylinders of different sizes (R₀/_i0.5–1, V₀/V_i1.5–2) is confirmed experimentally. It is shown that the patterns of flow around a plate and a cylinder coincide at small values of the parameter (=R₀/z_H). The effect of the potential of the bodies on their flow patterns is studied.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 2, pp. 3–12, March–April, 1973.The authors thank A. V. Gurevich for constant cooperation and valuable advice, and K. Tinchurin for help in the measurements.