VLF wave emissions by pulsed and dc electron beams in space. II - Analysis of Spacelab 2 results
Results are presented from experiments on the generation of radio frequency waves in space plasmas by the injection of artificial electron beams into ionospheric plasmas that were conducted on the Spacelab 2 Space Shuttle mission. The observations of narrow-band radiation (Reeves et al., 1988) are compared with the prediction of a theory of wave generation by pulsed electron beams (Harker and Banks, 1987). Good agreement is found between the observations and predictions for the s = 0, root 2 solutions representing Cerenkov radiation with wave normal angles less than the Gendrin angle. Also, for broadband emissions, predictions using a single-ion cold plasma theory are compared with the observed features. The broadband dc and pulsed electron beam emissions also have features that can be explained in terms of the characteristics of whistler mode waves produced by Cerenkov resonance.