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Ion energization by ELF wave packets formed of lightning‐induced emission in the low‐altitude magnetosphere
Author(s) -
Shklyar D. R.,
Kuzichev I. V.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2013gl058692
Subject(s) - physics , magnetosphere , ion , wave packet , atomic physics , lightning (connector) , cyclotron , ionosphere , computational physics , geophysics , plasma , nuclear physics , power (physics) , quantum mechanics
We investigate a new type of resonant interaction between suprathermal ions and specific wave packets of ion cyclotron waves in which a spatially dependent wave frequency is close to the local ion cyclotron frequency, while the magnitude of the wave vector at a local point increases linearly with time. We argue that such wave packets are naturally formed of lightning‐induced emission. This type of resonant wave‐particle interaction, which has not been considered so far, appears to be very efficient and to result in essential consequences for both particles and waves, namely, a strong nondiffusive particle energization and simultaneous wave absorption. Since lightning strokes happen persistently over the terrestrial globe, the mechanism suggested in this paper constitutes a continual means of ion energization in the near‐Earth space.