Source of the Bursty Bulk Flow Diffuse Aurora: Electrostatic Cyclotron Harmonic and Whistler Waves in the Coupling of Bursty Bulk Flows to Auroral Precipitation

Electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) and whistler chorus waves are recognized as the two mechanisms responsible for the resonant waveparticle interactions necessary to precipitate plasma sheet electrons into the ionosphere, producing the diffuse Aurora. Previous work has demonstrated ECH waves dominate electron scattering at L shells >8, while whistler chorus dominates scattering at L shells L 1, consistent with electron betatron acceleration. Here, however, we nd whistler chorus emissions throughout an interval of fast ows where Te,/Te,||< 1. Parallel electron beams account for the enhanced parallel electron temperature and serve as the instability mechanism for the whistler chorus. The parallel electron beams and associated cigarshaped distributions are consistent with Fermi acceleration at dipolarizations in fast ows. We demonstrate that the scattering efciency of the whistler chorus exceeds that of ECH waves, which THEMIS also detects during the fast ows. The obliquity of the whistler waves permits efcient scattering of lowerenergy electrons into the diffuse aurora. We conclude that Fermi acceleration of electrons provides one important freeenergy source for the waveparticle interactions responsible for coupling plasma sheet electrons into the diffuse aurora during substorm conditions

Single Cycle Thin Film Compressor Opening the door to Zeptosecond-Exawatt Physics

This article demonstrates a new compression scheme that has the potential to compress a high energy pulse as high as a few hundred Joules in a pulse as short as one optical cycle at 0.8{\mu}m making a true ultra-relativistic {\lambda}^3 pulse. This pulse could have a focused intensity of 10^24W/cm2 or a0 of 1000. It could form an efficient, 10%, relativistic mirror that could compress the pulse to the atto-zeptosecond regime, with an upshifted wavelength of 1-10keV. This technique could be a watershed making the entry of petawatt pulses into the exawatt and zeptosecond regime possible.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Energy Interchange in the Electron Diffuse Aurora

The diffuse aurora has recently been shown to be a major contributor of energy flux into the Earth's ionosphere. Therefore, a comprehensive theoretical analysis is required to understand its role in energy redistribution in the coupled ionosphere-magnetosphere system. In previous theoretical descriptions of precipitated magnetospheric electrons (E is approximately 1 keV), the major focus has been the ionization and excitation rates of the neutral atmosphere and the energy deposition rate to thermal ionospheric electrons. However, these precipitating electrons will also produce secondary electrons via impact ionization of the neutral atmosphere. This paper presents the solution of the Boltzman-Landau kinetic equation that uniformly describes the entire electron distribution function in the diffuse aurora, including the affiliated production of secondary electrons (E greater than 600 eV) and their ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling processes. In this article, we discuss for the first time how diffuse electron precipitation into the atmosphere and the associated secondary electron production participate in ionosphere-magnetosphere energy redistribution

Anisotropic ion heating and parallel O + acceleration in regions of rapid E × B convection

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95143/1/grl6404.pd

Photoelectron Effects on the Self-Consistent Potential in the Collisionless Polar Wind

The presence of unthermalized photoelectrons in the sunlit polar cap leads to an enhanced ambipolar potential drop and enhanced upward ion acceleration. Observations in the topside ionosphere have led to the conclusion that large-scale electrostatic potential drops exist above the spacecraft along polar magnetic field lines connected to regions of photoelectron production. A kinetic approach is used for the O(+), H(+), and photoelectron (p) distributions, while a fluid approach is used to describe the thermal electrons (e) and self-consistent electric field (E(sub II)) electrons are allowed to carry a flux that compensates for photoelectron escape, a critical assumption. Collisional processes are excluded, leading to easier escape of polar wind particles and therefore to the formation of the largest potential drop consistent with this general approach. We compute the steady state electric field enhancement and net potential drop expected in the polar wind due to the presence of photoelectrons as a function of the fractional photoelectron content and the thermal plasma characteristics. For a set of low-altitude boundary conditions typical of the polar wind ionosphere, including 0.1% photoelectron content, we found a potential drop from 500 km to 5 R(sub E) of 6.5 V and a maximum thermal electron temperature of 8800 K. The reasonable agreement of our results with the observed polar wind suggests that the assumptions of this approach are valid

Parametric excitation of high‐frequency electromagnetic waves by the lower‐frequency dipole pumping

The possibility of parametric excitation of high‐frequency electromagnetic waves by lower‐frequency dipole pumping is studied. It is shown that the obtained general dispersive equation may be reduced to the Mathieu equation, provided the case of the flux instability is neglected. In the framework of the developed approach, the excitation of magnetohydrodynamic waves and whistler oscillations is examined.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70436/2/PFBPEI-5-1-92-1.pd

Lower hybrid turbulence and ponderomotive force effects in space plasmas subjected to large‐amplitude low‐frequency waves

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95445/1/grl9158.pd

The nonlinear coupling of electromagnetic ion cyclotron and lower hybrid waves in the ring current region: the magnetic storm 1-7May 1998

International audienceThe 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 2-7 May 1998 storm period on the global scale. The LHWs were calculated based on a newly developed self-consistent model (Khazanov et. al., 2002) 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

Self-Consistent Superthermal Electron Effects on Plasmaspheric Refilling

The effects of self-consistently including superthermal electrons in the definition of the ambipolar electric field are investigated for the case of plasmaspheric refilling after a geomagnetic storm. By using the total electron population in the hydrodynamic equations, a method for incorporating superthermal electron parameters in the electric field and electron temperature calculation is developed. Also, the ambipolar electric field is included in the kinetic equation for the superthermal electrons through a change of variables using the total energy and the first adiabatic invariant. Calculations based on these changes are performed by coupling time-dependent models of the thermal plasma and superthermal electrons. Results from this treatment of the electric field and the self-consistent development of the solution are discussed in detail. Specifically, there is a decreased thermal electron density in the plasmasphere during the first few minutes of refilling, a slightly accelerated proton shock front, and a decreased superthermal electron flux due to the deceleration by the electric field. The timescales of plasmaspheric refilling are discussed and determined to be somewhat shorter than previously calculated for the thermal plasma and superthermal electron population due to the effects of the field-aligned potential