Plasma simulation of intense VLF turbulence and particle acceleration in the suprauroral region

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6256821

Retterer, J M; Chang, T

Wave-particle interaction with the intense turbulence observed near the lower-hybrid frequency in the Earth's suprauroral regions is one of the attractive mechanisms for the heating and acceleration of ionospheric ion and electron populations that lead to the production of the ion conics and countermeasuring electrons that are observed in the region. Two-dimensional particle plasma simulation is used here to illustrate several of the processes that act together to cause the formation of the turbulence and the resulting particle acceleration, beginning with the linear instability of the plasma, leading to a turbulent state and the velocity diffusion of the electrons parallel to the ambient magnetic field and the ions transverse to the field. Parallels with be drawn between the phenomena observed in the simulations and the spacecraft observations that motivated the present study.

• Research Organization: Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6256821
• Report Number(s): AD-A-227657/4/XAB; CNN: F19628-86-K-0005
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCELERATION
AURORAE
AURORAL ZONES
CHARGED PARTICLES
DIFFUSION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
HEATING
INSTABILITY
INTERACTIONS
IONOSPHERE
IONS
LEPTONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA SIMULATION
SIMULATION
SPACE VEHICLES
STABILITY
TURBULENCE
VEHICLES
VELOCITY