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At least 181 records · Page 10

The Nonlinear Coupling of Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron and Lower Hybrid Waves in the Ring Current Region: The Magnetic Storm May 1-7 1998

The excitation of lower hybrid waves (LHWs) is a widely discussed mechanism of interaction between plasma species in space, and is one of the unresolved questions of magnetospheric multi-ion plasmas. In this paper we present the morphology, dynamics, and level of LHW activity generated by electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves during the May 2-7, 1998 storm period on the global scale. The LHWs were calculated based on our newly developed self-consistent model that couples the system of two kinetic equations: one equation describes the ring current (RC) ion dynamic, and another equation describes the evolution of EMIC waves. It is found that the LHWs are excited by helium ions due to their mass dependent drift in the electric field of EMIC waves. The level of LHW activity is calculated assuming that the induced scattering process is the main saturation mechanism for these waves. The calculated LHWs electric fields are consistent with the observational data.

Khazanov, G. V.↗

Lower Hybrid Frequency Range Waves Generated by Ion Polarization Drift Due to Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves: Analysis of an Event Observed by the Van Allen Probe B

We analyze a wave event that occurred near noon between 07:03 and 07:08 UT on 23 February 2014 detected by the Van Allen Probes B spacecraft, where waves in the lower hybrid frequency range (LHFR) and electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are observed to be highly correlated, with Pearson correlation coefficient of approximately 0.86. We assume that the correlation is the result of LHFR wave generation by the ions polarization drift in the electric field of the EMIC waves. To check this assumption the drift velocities of electrons and H+, He+, and O+ ions in the measured EMIC wave electric field were modeled. Then the LHFR wave linear instantaneous growth rates for plasma with these changing drift velocities and different plasma compositions were calculated. The time distribution of these growth rates, their frequency distribution, and the frequency dependence of the ratio of the LHFR wave power spectral density (PSD)parallel and perpendicular to the ambient magnetic eld to the total PSD were found. These characteristics of the growth rates were compared with the corresponding characteristics of the observed LHFR activity. Reasonable agreement between these features and the strong correlation between EMIC and LHFR energy densities support the assumption that the LHFR wave generation can be caused by the ions polarization drift in the electric field of an EMIC wave.

Van Allen Probes↗

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves stimulated by modest magnetospheric compressions

AMPTE/CCE magnetic field and particle data are used to test the suggestion that increased hot proton temperature anisotropy resulting from convection during magnetospheric compression is responsible for the enhancement in Pc 1 emission via generation of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves in the dayside outer equatorial magnetosphere. The relative increase in magnetic field is used to gauge the strength of the compression, and an image dipole model is used to estimate the motion of the plasma during compression. Proton data are used to analyze the evolution of the proton distribution and the corresponding changes in EMIC wave activity expected during the compression. It is suggested that enhancements in dynamic pressure pump the energetic proton distributions in the outer magnetosphere, driving EMIC waves. Waves are expected to be generated most readily close to the magnetopause, and transient pressure pulses may be associated with bursts of EMIC waves, which would be observed on the ground in association with ionospheric transient signatures.

Anderson, B. J.↗

An experimental test of the electromagnetic ion cyclotron instability within the earth's magnetosphere

Examples of propagating electromagnetic Alfven/ion cyclotron waves in plasma particle and magnetic field data observed by the ATS-6 geostationary satellite are discussed. These waves were viewed mainly near the afternoon and dusk regions of the earth's magnetosphere with normalized frequencies in the 0.05 to 0.5 range. Two wave events were analyzed: both appeared coincidentally with the encounter of cool plasma populations which joined the hot populations already present. An electromagnetic ion cyclotron instability was proposed as the wave generation mechanism; this theory was tested by evaluating the linear growth integrals under the measured anisotropic hot ion distribution.

Mauk, B. H.↗

The mirror and ion cyclotron anisotropy instabilities

The linear dispersion equation for fully electromagnetic waves and instabilities at arbitrary directions of propagation relative to a background magnetic field B(0) in a homogeneous Vlasov plasma is solved numerically for bi-Maxwellian particle distributions. For isotropic plasmas the dispersion and damping of the three modes below the proton cyclotron frequency are studied as functions of Beta(i) and T(e)/T(i). The transport ratios of helicity, cross-helicity, Alfven ratio, compressibility, and parallel compressibility are defined. Under the condition that the proton temperature perpendicular to B(0) is greater than the parallel temperature, the growth rates and transport ratios of the mirror instability and the ion cyclotron anisotropy instability are examined and compared. Both the proton parallel compressibility and the proton Alfven ratio are significantly different for the two growing modes.

Gary, S. P.↗

Evolution of ion cyclotron instability in the plasma convection system of the magnetosphere

In the present paper, Liouville's theorem is used in combination with approximate, but extremely accurate, expressions which reflect the invariance of the magnetic moment and the longitudinal invariant to determine analytically the evolution of an adiabatically convecting energetic particle distribution. Features of the convecting distribution, reproduced by this model, include positive pitch angle anisotropy, regions in velocity space where the nonmonotonic perpendicular energy distribution is greater than zero, and the energy dependence of the degree of particle injection. The energy dependence of the injection yields upper and lower cutoffs to the distribution within the plasmasphere, and only an upper cutoff outside. This approach is used to study the evolution of ion cyclotron waves in a convecting particle distribution.

Kaye, S. M.↗

The plasma wave environment of an auroral arc - Electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in the diffuse aurora

Electric field plasma wave observations were made with a sounding rocket payload in and near a quiet auroral arc. This payload was launched on March 9, 1978 from Poker Flat, Alaska. The payload trajectory was close to the magnetic meridian and passed over a 40 kR auroral arc. The present investigation is concerned with ac electric field observations in the ELF and lower VLF covering a frequency range from 2.5 Hz to 8 kHz. Attention is given to aspects of instrumentation, the general situation, a data analysis, and the obtained results. Waves were observed at low altitude in a region of downward parallel current and diffuse aurora. These waves had properties consistent with those expected for hydrogen and oxygen electrostatic ion cyclotron (EIC) waves.

Bering, E. A.↗

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves observed in the plasma depletion layer

Observations from AMPTE/CCE in the earth's magnetosheath on October 5, 1984 are presented to illustrate 0.1 - 4.0 Hz magnetic field pulsations in the subsolar plasma depletion layer (PDL) for northward sheath field during a magnetospheric compression. The PDL is unambiguously identified by comparing CCE data with data from IRM in the upstream solar wind. Pulsations in the PDL are dominated by transverse waves with F/F(H+) 1.0 or less and a slot in spectral power at F/F(H+) = 0.5. The upper branch is left hand polarized while the lower branch is linearly polarized. In the sheath the proton temperature anisotropy is about 0.6 but it is about 1.7 in the PDL during wave occurrence. The properties and correlation of waves with increased anisotropy indicate that they are electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves.

Anderson, B. J.↗

Ion cyclotron waves as a possible source of resonant auroral radar echoes

Some auroral radar Doppler data which show the presence of spectra not previously discussed are described. The data were obtained during highly distributed magnetic conditions with a relatively small 50 MHz radar pointed northeast of Ithaca, New York. The data are characterized by strong discrete echoes and display spectral peaks which are even narrower than type 1 and are centered at a considerably smaller Doppler shift. These echoes were present simultaneously with and adjacent in range to the commonly observed auroral spectra, and were probably obtained from a height of about 140 km or higher, well above the center of the auroral electrojet. The results are compared with existing electrojet instability theories, and other plasma instabilities which might be important are discussed. The Doppler shift suggests that the narrow spectra might be caused by ion cyclotron waves generated by field-aligned currents, but the observations cannot be fully explained by any of the theories.

Fejer, B. G.↗

Ion cyclotron resonance heated conics - Theory and observations

A general theoretical treatment of energetic oxygen ion conic formation through cyclotron resonance with magnetospheric electromagnetic plasma turbulence is presented. With suitable assumptions, there exists a similarity regime in which the process may be profitably characterized by two parameters corresponding roughly to the velocity scale and pitch angle of the ion distribution. These may be independently determined from the wave and particle observations of a conic event, as is illustrated here using typical auroral passes of the Dynamics Explorer 1 satellite. The predictions of the theory are found to be in excellent agreement with the observations.

Crew, G. B.↗

Self-Consistent Ring Current/Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves Modeling

The self-consistent treatment of the RC ion dynamics and EMIC waves, which are thought to exert important influences on the ion dynamical evolution, is an important missing element in our understanding of the storm-and recovery-time ring current evolution. For example, the EMlC waves cause the RC decay on a time scale of about one hour or less during the main phase of storms. The oblique EMIC waves damp due to Landau resonance with the thermal plasmaspheric electrons, and subsequent transport of the dissipating wave energy into the ionosphere below causes an ionosphere temperature enhancement. Under certain conditions, relativistic electrons, with energies 21 MeV, can be removed from the outer radiation belt by EMIC wave scattering during a magnetic storm. That is why the modeling of EMIC waves is critical and timely issue in magnetospheric physics. This study will generalize the self-consistent theoretical description of RC ions and EMIC waves that has been developed by Khazanov et al. [2002, 2003] and include the heavy ions and propagation effects of EMIC waves in the global dynamic of self-consistent RC - EMIC waves coupling. The results of our newly developed model that will be presented at the meeting, focusing mainly on the dynamic of EMIC waves and comparison of these results with the previous global RC modeling studies devoted to EMIC waves formation. We also discuss RC ion precipitations and wave induced thermal electron fluxes into the ionosphere.

Khazanov, G. V.↗

Simulation of ion-cyclotron-like modes in a magnetoplasma with transverse inhomogeneous electric field

The new kinetic ion-cyclotronlike (IC-like) instability driven by a localized electric field perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field is investigated using particle simulation. The existence of the new mode is demonstrated and the mode is distinguished from the well-known Kelvin-Helmholtz branch and the kinetic modification of this branch. The issue of the initial loading of particles in phase space in the simulation is clarified. The simulation results show that the growing ion waves are associated with the small vortices in the linear state, which evolve into a nonlinear stage dominated by large vortices with lower frequencies.

Nishikawa, K.-I.↗

Ion cyclotron bands in VLF saucers

In the wideband VLF data obtained by the polar orbiting DE-1 satellite over the polar night ion trough region of the upper ionosphere, conspicuous frequency-band structures are found to occur both in absorption and emission, particularly associating with VLF saucers. The attenuation bands indicate that the ions of atomic hydrogen from the polar ionosphere are accelerated by the ac electric fields of VLF waves oscillating normal to the static magnetic field, analogous to a cyclotron accelerator. The observed frequencies of the cyclotron harmonics suggest that the acceleration is taking place in the layer below the satellite at a geocentric distance of less than about 1.5 earth radii. This example indicates the existence of upward propagating hiss at those altitudes inside the auroral zone. On the other hand, the frequency shifts of the emission bands are attributed to a combination of two different types of Doppler shift, one due to the orbital motion of the satellite and the other due to the upward motion of the medium at the emission source. This indicates the existence of an upward plasma flow at the source, with a velocity of the order of 20 km/s inside the saucer. The amount of this frequency shift decreases with increasing harmonic order, indicating a higher phase velocity for the electrostatic waves of higher harmonic order.

Maeda, Kaichi↗

Simulations of ion cyclotron anisotropy instabilities in the terrestrial magnetosheath

Enhanced transverse magnetic fluctuations observed below the proton cyclotron frequency in the terrestrial magnetosheath have been identified as due to the proton cyclotron and helium cyclotron instabilities driven by the T-perpendicular greater than T-parallel condition of the sheath ions. One-dimensional hybrid computer simulations are used here to examine the nonlinear properties of these two growing modes at relatively weak fluctuation energies and for wave vectors parallel to the background magnetic field. Second-order theory predicts fluctuating magnetic field energies at saturation of the proton cyclotron anisotropy instability in semiquantitative agreement with the simulation results. Introduction of the helium component enhances the wave-particle exchange rate for proton anisotropy reduction by that instability, thereby reducing the saturation energy of that mode. The simulations demonstrate that wave-particle interactions by the proton cyclotron and helium cyclotron instabilities lead to the anticorrelation observed by Anderson and Fuselier (1993).

Gary, S. P.↗

Lower Hybrid Oscillations in Multicomponent Space Plasmas Subjected to Ion Cyclotron Waves

It is found that in multicomponent plasmas subjected to Alfven or fast magnetosonic waves, such as are observed in regions of the outer plasmasphere and ring current-plasmapause overlap, lower hybrid oscillations are generated. The addition of a minor heavy ion component to a proton-electron plasma significantly lowers the low-frequency electric wave amplitude needed for lower hybrid wave excitation. It is found that the lower hybrid wave energy density level is determined by the nonlinear process of induced scattering by ions and electrons; hydrogen ions in the region of resonant velocities are accelerated; and nonresonant particles are weakly heated due to the induced scattering. For a given example, the light resonant ions have an energy gain factor of 20, leading to the development of a high-energy tail in the H(+) distribution function due to low-frequency waves.

Khazanov, G. V.↗