R. P. Singhal

Diffusion coefficients from resonant interactions with electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic waves

Pitch-angle diffusion coefficients have been calculated for resonant interaction with electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) waves using quasilinear diffusion theory. Unlike previous calculations, the parallel group velocity has been included in this study. Further, ECH wave intensity is expressed as a function of wave frequency and wave normal angle with respect to ambient magnetic field. It is found that observed wave electric field amplitudes in Earth’s magnetosphere are sufficient to set electrons on strong diffusion in the energy ranges of a few hundred eV. However, the required amplitudes are larger than the observed values for keV electrons and higher by about a factor of 3 compared to past calculations. Required electric field amplitudes are smaller at larger radial distances. It is concluded that ECH waves are responsible for diffuse auroral precipitation of electrons with energies less than about 500 eV.

Superthermal electron magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling in the diffuse aurora in the presence of ECH waves

There are two main theories for the origin of the diffuse auroral electron precipitation: first, pitch angle scattering by electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) waves, and second, by whistler mode waves. Precipitating electrons initially injected from the plasma sheet to the loss cone via wave-particle interaction processes degrade in the atmosphere toward lower energies and produce secondary electrons via impact ionization of the neutral atmosphere. These secondary electrons can escape back to the magnetosphere, become trapped on closed magnetic field lines, and deposit their energy back to the inner magnetosphere. ECH and whistler mode waves can also move electrons in the opposite direction, from the loss cone into the trap zone, if the source of such electrons exists in conjugate ionospheres located at the same field lines as the trapped magnetospheric electron population. Such a situation exists in the simulation scenario of superthermal electron energy interplay in the region of diffuse aurora presented and discussed by Khazanov et al. (2014) and will be quantified in this paper by taking into account the interaction of secondary electrons with ECH waves.

Dielectric tensor for a plasma with a loss-cone kappa-Maxwellian velocity distribution

Components of the dielectric tensor are obtained for a kappa-Maxwellian velocity distribution with loss-cone feature for a hot, infinite, homogeneous plasma immersed in a uniform magnetic field. Expansions valid for small propagation angle (angle between the wave vector and the ambient magnetic field) are given for the elements of the dielectric tensor.

Ionosphere-Magnetosphere Energy Interplay in the Regions of Diffuse Aurora

Both electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) waves and whistler mode chorus waves resonate with electrons of the Earths plasma sheet in the energy range from tens of eV to several keV and produce the electron diffuse aurora at ionospheric altitudes. Interaction of these superthermal electrons with the neutral atmosphere leads to the production of secondary electrons (E500600 eV) and, as a result, leads to the activation of lower energy superthermal electron spectra that can escape back to the magnetosphere and contribute to the thermal electron energy deposition processes in the magnetospheric plasma. The ECH and whistler mode chorus waves, however, can also interact with the secondary electrons that are coming from both of the magnetically conjugated ionospheres after they have been produced by initially precipitated high-energy electrons that came from the plasma sheet. After their degradation and subsequent reflection in magnetically conjugate atmospheric regions, both the secondary electrons and the precipitating electrons with high (E600 eV) initial energies will travel back through the loss cone, become trapped in the magnetosphere, and redistribute the energy content of the magnetosphere-ionosphere system. Thus, scattering of the secondary electrons by ECH and whistler mode chorus waves leads to an increase of the fraction of superthermal electron energy deposited into the core magnetospheric plasma.

Banded Structures in Electron Pitch Angle Diffusion Coefficients from Resonant Wave Particle Interactions

Electron pitch angle (Dαα) and momentum (Dpp) diffusion coefficients have been calculated due to resonant interactions with electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) and whistler mode chorus waves. Calculations have been performed at two spatial locations L = 4.6 and 6.8 for electron energies ≤10 keV. Landau (n = 0) resonance and cyclotron harmonic resonances n = ±1, ±2, … ±5 have been included in the calculations. It is found that diffusion coefficient versus pitch angle (α) profiles show large dips and oscillations or banded structures. The structures are more pronounced for ECH and lower band chorus (LBC) and particularly at location 4.6. Calculations of diffusion coefficients have also been performed for individual resonances. It is noticed that the main contribution of ECH waves in pitch angle diffusion coefficient is due to resonances n = +1 and n = +2. A major contribution to momentum diffusion coefficients appears from n = +2. However, the banded structures in Dαα and Dpp coefficients appear...

Electron density fluctuations in the nightside Venus ionosphere: Role of gravity waves

A one-dimensional, two-ion (O + , O 2 + ) model is described for studying fluctuations in electron density, electron temperature, and magnetic field produced by atmospheric gravity waves in the low-altitude (<200 km) ionosphere of Venus just past the terminator (solar zenith angle 100°). Plasma velocity and self-consistent horizontal magnetic field are calculated utilizing the observed data on plasma densities and temperatures. Effect of the Hall and Pedersen conductivity on the gravity wave dispersion relation is investigated. A gravity wave of time period 33 min and horizontal wavelength 700 km is considered for the case study. Amplitude and phase of electron density, electron temperature, and magnetic field fluctuations relative to the fluctuations in neutral atomic oxygen density are calculated. Results are discussed in the light of observed wave structure and correlations in these parameters. It is found that the fluctuations observed in the ionospheric and magnetic parameters in the nightside ionosphere of Venus can be produced by internal gravity waves.

Simple analytical expressions for electron pitch angle diffusion coefficients

In the present paper, we have calculated electron pitch angle diffusion coefficients due to resonant interactions with whistler mode lower band chorus (LBC), upper band chorus (UBC), and electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) waves. Calculations have been performed at two values of the ratio of electron plasma frequency to gyro-frequency and thirteen representative values of electron energies for the plasma sheet electrons. The numerical data of diffusion coefficients have been fitted to simple analytical expressions for each wave mode. These analytical expressions allow for simple evaluation of pitch angle diffusion coefficients for the arbitrary pitch angle, energy, the ambient magnetic field, the wave amplitude, and the ratio of plasma frequency to gyro-frequency. In the case of LBC waves, the analytical coefficients are generally within a factor of two to the numerical coefficients, except at higher pitch angles where the numerical coefficients drop to show negligible values. Likewise, also f...