Production of electron conics by stochastic acceleration parallel to the magnetic field
Electron conics are enhancements in the electron flux at the edges of the electron loss cone. Such enhancements are a common feature in the electron distribution in the auroral zone. In analogy with ion conics, it has been suggested that electron conics are produced by waves which accelerate electrons perpendicular to the magnetic field. However, using a test particle simulation of the electron distribution it is shown that electron conics can be produced purely by stochastic acceleration of the electrons parallel to a dipole magnetic field. A possible wave mode that can produce parallel acceleration is the Alfven-ion cyclotron mode that has recently been shown to modulate the high energy part of the inverted-V electron distribution.