Auroral Electron Acceleration by Dispersive Alfvén Waves: Kinetic Processes

Details Auroral Electron Acceleration by Dispersive Alfvén Waves: Kinetic Processes Auroral Electron Acceleration by Dispersive Alfvén Waves: Kinetic Processes

Dec 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agufmsm51a0798r&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2001, abstract #SM51A-0798

Physics

2704 Auroral Phenomena (2407), 2708 Current Systems (2409), 2764 Plasma Sheet

Scientific paper

We present results of a kinetic theory of auroral electron acceleration by narrow band ULF waves in the nightside magnetosphere. It is shown that a kinetic treatment of the electron response is essential for the characteristic case where the electron bounce period is much shorter than the wave period. We shall review basic features of the kinetic theory, including a discussion of ionospheric boundary conditions, and the inclusion of inhomogeneity of the electron temperature and density along the field line. It is found that the parallel wave potential is localized to the region where the density begins to increase rapidly. Three parameters control the magnitude of the wave potential and electron acceleration: the maximum density at the foot of the field line, the scale height of the ionosphere, and the electron temperature near the ionosphere. The plasma density increase at the ionosphere creates a quasi-static potential that has a tendency to decrease the wave potential by increasing the plasma conductivity. The same effect is accomplished by an increase of the cold electron temperature at the ionosphere. We find that electron acceleration to several keV is possible for realistic ambient parameters.

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