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Nonlinear Electrostatic Steepening of Whistler Waves: The Guiding Factors and Dynamics in Inhomogeneous Systems

Journal Article · · Geophysical Research Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076957· OSTI ID:1463563
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [4];  [6];  [7]
  1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Space Sciences Lab.; National Taras Shevchenko Univ. of Kyiv, Kyiv (Ukraine). Astronomy and Space Physics Dept.
  2. Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States). Dept. of Physics, the Inst. for Physical Science and Technology and the Joint Space Inst.
  3. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Space Sciences Lab.
  4. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Inst. of Geophysics and Planetary Physics
  5. LPC2E/CNRS, Orleans (France)
  6. Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). School of Physics and Astronomy
  7. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Whistler mode chorus waves are particularly important in outer radiation belt dynamics due to their key role in controlling the acceleration and scattering of electrons over a very wide energy range. The efficiency of wave-particle resonant interactions is defined by whistler wave properties which have been described by the approximation of plane linear waves propagating through the cold plasma of the inner magnetosphere. However, recent observations of extremely high-amplitude whistlers suggest the importance of nonlinear wave-particle interactions for the dynamics of the outer radiation belt. Oblique chorus waves observed in the inner magnetosphere often exhibit drastically nonsinusoidal (with significant power in the higher harmonics) waveforms of the parallel electric field, presumably due to the feedback from hot resonant electrons. We have considered the nature and properties of such nonlinear whistler waves observed by the Van Allen Probes and Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions define during Substorms in the inner magnetosphere, and we show that the significant enhancement of the wave electrostatic component can result from whistler wave coupling with the beam-driven electrostatic mode through the resonant interaction with hot electron beams. Being modulated by a whistler wave, the electron beam generates a driven electrostatic mode significantly enhancing the parallel electric field of the initial whistler wave. Finally, we confirm this mechanism using a self-consistent particle-in-cell simulation. The nonlinear electrostatic component manifests properties of the beam-driven electron acoustic mode and can be responsible for effective electron acceleration in the inhomogeneous magnetic field.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA); USDOE; National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1463563
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--18-25085
Journal Information:
Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 45; ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (7)

Reply to Comment by Nishimura Et Al. journal March 2018
Local Excitation of Whistler Mode Waves and Associated Langmuir Waves at Dayside Reconnection Regions journal September 2018
Nonlinear Coupling Between Whistler‐Mode Chorus and Electron Cyclotron Harmonic Waves in the Magnetosphere journal December 2018
Direct Observation of Electron Distributions inside Millisecond Duration Electron Holes journal September 2018
Scattering of Energetic Electrons by Heat-flux-driven Whistlers in Flares journal December 2019
Time Domain Structures and Dust in the Solar Vicinity: Parker Solar Probe Observations journal February 2020
Time domain structures and dust in the solar vicinity: Parker Solar Probe observations text January 2019

Figures / Tables (4)

Figure 1(p. 5)figure Figure 1
Figure 2(p. 7)figure Figure 2
Figure 3(p. 10)figure Figure 3
Figure 4(p. 11)figure Figure 4

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Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
Heliospheric and Magnetospheric Physics
electron acceleration
electron acoustic waves
induced scattering
nonlinear wave‐particle interactions
wave steepening
whistler waves