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Title: The relationship between the macroscopic state of electrons and the properties of chorus waves observed by the Van Allen Probes

Journal Article · · Geophysical Research Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL070084· OSTI ID:1345935
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5]
  1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Univ. Corp. for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States)
  2. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
  3. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  4. Johns Hopkins Univ. Applied Physics Lab., Laurel, MD (United States)
  5. Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Plasma kinetic theory predicts that a sufficiently anisotropic electron distribution will excite whistler mode waves, which in turn relax the electron distribution in such a way as to create an upper bound on the relaxed electron anisotropy. Here using whistler mode chorus wave and plasma measurements by Van Allen Probes, we confirm that the electron distributions are well constrained by this instability to a marginally stable state in the whistler mode chorus waves generation region. Lower band chorus waves are organized by the electron β∥e into two distinct groups: (i) relatively large-amplitude, quasi-parallel waves with β∥e ≳0:025 and (ii) relatively small-amplitude, oblique waves with β∥e ≲0:025. The upper band chorus waves also have enhanced amplitudes close to the instability threshold, with large-amplitude waves being quasi-parallel whereas small-amplitude waves being oblique. These results provide important insight for studying the excitation of whistler mode chorus waves.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1345935
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-16-26171
Journal Information:
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, Issue 15; ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 41 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (27)

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Cited By (10)

Properties of Intense Field-Aligned Lower-Band Chorus Waves: Implications for Nonlinear Wave-Particle Interactions: INTENSE FIELD-ALIGNED CHORUS WAVE-PACKETS journal July 2018
Ultrawideband Rising-Tone Chorus Waves Observed Inside the Oscillating Plasmapause journal August 2018
The Relationship Between EMIC Wave Properties and Proton Distributions Based on Van Allen Probes Observations journal April 2019
Energy Transport by Whistler Waves Around Dipolarizing Flux Bundles journal November 2019
The Effects of Thermal Electrons on Whistler Mode Waves Excited by Anisotropic Hot Electrons: Linear Theory and 2‐D PIC Simulations journal July 2019
Saturation Properties of Whistler Wave Instability in a Plasma With Two Electron Components journal July 2019
Statistical Distribution of Whistler Mode Waves in the Radiation Belts With Large Magnetic Field Amplitudes and Comparison to Large Electric Field Amplitudes journal August 2019
Periodic Excitation of Chorus and ECH Waves Modulated by Ultralow Frequency Compressions journal November 2019
Magnetospheric chorus wave simulation with the TRISTAN-MP PIC code journal July 2019
In Situ Observations of Harmonic Alfvén Waves and Associated Heavy Ion Heating journal May 2018

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71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
Heliospheric and Magnetospheric Physics