Plasma waves associated with the first AMPTE magnetotail barium release. Progress report for 1986

Technical Report · Tue May 20 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5146839

Gurnett, D A; Anderson, R R; Bernhardt, P A; Luhr, H; Haerendel, G

Plasma waves observed during a magnetotail barium release are described. Electron plasma oscillations provided local measurements of the plasma oscillations provided local measurements of the plasma density during both the expansion and decay phases. Immediately after the explosion the electron density reached a peak of about -400000/cc, and then started decreasing approximately as (t to the -2.4th power as the cloud expanded. About 6 minutes after the explosion the electron density suddenly began to increase, reached a secondary peak of about -240, and then slowly decayed down to the pre-event level over a period of about 15 minutes. The density increase is believed to be caused by the collapsed of the ion cloud into the diamagnetic cavity created by the initial expansion. The plasma-wave intensities observed during the entire event were quite low. In the diamagnetic-cavity electrostatic emissions were observed near the barium ion plasma frequency, and in another band at lower frequencies. A broadband burst of electrostatic noise was also observed at the boundary of the diamagnetic cavity. Except for electron plasma oscillations, no significant wave activity was observed outside of the diamagnetic cavity.

• Research Organization: Iowa Univ., Iowa City (USA). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
• OSTI ID: 5146839
• Report Number(s): AD-A-169280/5/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640203* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (-1987)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
BARIUM
CHARGED PARTICLES
CLOUDS
DECAY
DIAMAGNETISM
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTROSTATICS
ELEMENTS
EMISSION
IONS
MAGNETISM
MAGNETOTAIL
MEASURING METHODS
METALS
PLASMA WAVES
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND