Collisional electrostatic ion cyclotron waves as a possible source of energetic heavy ions in the magnetosphere

Journal Article · Sun Apr 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA095iA04p03855· OSTI ID:5221911

Providakes, J ^[1]; Seyler, C E ^[2]

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1. Mitre Corp., Bedford, MA (United States)
2. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)

A new mechanism is proposed for the source of energetic heavy ions (NO{sup +}, O{sub 2}{sup +}, and O{sup +}) found in the magnetosphere. Simulations using a multispecies particle simulation code for resistive current-driven electrostatic ion cyclotron waves show transverse and parallel bulk heating of bottomside ionospheric NO{sup +}, O{sub 2}{sup +} and O{sup +} ion populations. The dominant mechanism for the transverse bulk heating is resonant ion heating by wave-particle ion trapping. Using a linear kinetic dispersion relation for a magnetized, collisional, homogeneous, and multi-ion plasma, it is found that collisional electrostatic ion cyclotron waves near the NO{sup +}, O{sub 2}{sup +}, and O{sup +} gyrofrequencies are unstable to field-aligned currents of 50 {mu} A/m{sup 2} for a typical bottomside ionosphere (<300 km altitude). A simple ion outflow model of heavy ions is formulated that verifies the assertion that a large number of energetic heavy ions originating from below 250 km can reach the topside ionosphere (> 1000 km), and then via parallel electric fields be ejected into the Earth's magnetosphere.

• OSTI ID: 5221911
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 95:A4; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
&amp; Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHARGED PARTICLES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CYCLOTRON FREQUENCY
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRIC FIELDS
HEAVY IONS
ION DRIFT
ION WAVES
IONIC COMPOSITION
IONOSPHERE
IONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MOLECULAR IONS
NITRIC OXIDE
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
ORIGIN
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN IONS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA WAVES
SIMULATION