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Correlated whistler and electron plasma oscillation bursts detected on ISEE‐3
Author(s) -
Kennel C. F.,
Scarf F. L.,
Coroniti F. V.,
Fredricks R. W.,
Gurnett D. A.,
Smith E. J.
Publication year - 1980
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 - 10.1029/gl007i002p00129
Subject(s) - whistler , physics , amplitude , plasma , instability , plasma oscillation , oscillation (cell signaling) , electron , computational physics , plasmasphere , atomic physics , lower hybrid oscillation , two stream instability , waves in plasmas , magnetosphere , electromagnetic electron wave , optics , mechanics , nuclear physics , biology , genetics
The ISEE‐3 plasma wave instrument detects associated bursts of electron plasma oscillations and whistler mode waves at an average rate of event one every two days. The plasma wave measurements give the electron number density, and simultaneously measured E and B amplitudes are used to deduce an index of refraction consistent with whistler mode propagation for the measured number density and magnetic field. Burst durations are a few minutes, with some trains of bursts lasting up to an hour. Individual spectral scans (two per second) reveal that the whistler and plasma wave amplitude‐time profiles differ within a burst. Peak plasma wave amplitudes are near one mV/m, and the peak whistler mode energy density exceeds that of the plasma oscillations by about a factor 100. The frequency of the whistler mode wave observed in one well diagnosed event agrees with the predictions of the heat flux whistler instability theory. The associated plasma wave instability probably requires a bump‐on‐tail feature in the heat flux electron component, possibly due to impulsive heating elsewhere on the field‐line connecting to ISEE 3.