Low-frequency instabilities locally enhanced by parallel flow velocity shears in magnetized plasmas

Three-dimensional electrostatic particle simulations are performed in order to investigate the effects of ion flow parallel to magnetic-field lines and their velocity shears on low-frequency plasma instabilities in detail. In the case where the ion drift speed is so small that the low-frequency instabilities cannot take place. the ion-acoustic wave is destabilized by introducing the ion-flow velocity shear. The ion-acoustic wave is locally destabilized in the large velocity shear region. On the other hand, the ion-cyclotron instability is also destabilized when the ion drift speed exceeds a certain threshold. The flow velocity shear enhances not, only the fundamental mode but also tlie high harmonic modes. As a result. the spiky fluctuations in the time domain are locally observed in the velocity shear region. which are caused by the simultaneous existence of several coherent ion-evclotron harmonics.