Physics
Scientific paper
May 1990
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990jgr....95.5877b&link_type=abstract
Journal of Geophysical Research (ISSN 0148-0227), vol. 95, May 1, 1990, p. 5877-5888. Research supported by the Swedish Board fo
Physics
72
Auroral Zones, Electric Fields, Field Aligned Currents, Magnetic Fields, Particle Acceleration, Satellite Observation, Charged Particles, Direct Current, Electron Distribution, Frequency Ranges, Viking Spacecraft
Scientific paper
Electric field measurements on the Swedish satellite Viking have confirmed and extended earlier observations on S3-3 and provided further evidence of the role of dc electric fields in auroral acceleration processes. On auroral magnetic field lines the electric field is strongly fluctuating both transverse and parallel to the magnetic field. The significance of these fluctuations for the auroral acceleration process is discussed. A definition of dc electric fields is given in terms of their effects on charged particles. Fluctuations below several hertz are experienced as dc by typical auroral electrons if the acceleration length is a few thousand kilometers. For ions the same is true below about 0.1 Hz. The magnetic-field-aligned (as well as the transverse) component of the electric field fluctuations has a maximum below 1 Hz, in a frequency range that appears as dc to the electrons but not to the ions. This allows it to cause a selective acceleration, which may be important in explaining some of the observed characteristics of auroral particle distributions. The electric field observations on Viking support the conclusion that magnetic-field-aligned potential drops play an important role in auroral acceleration, in good agreement with particle observations both on Viking and on the DE satellites.
Block Lars P.
Fälthammar Carl-Günne
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