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Electrostatic plasma instabilities in the daytime lower ionosphere
Author(s) -
Basu B.,
Chang Tom,
Jasperse J. R.
Publication year - 1982
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/gl009i001p00068
Subject(s) - daytime , ionosphere , physics , middle latitudes , electron , plasma , dispersion relation , computational physics , atomic physics , cyclotron , dispersion (optics) , atmospheric sciences , geophysics , optics , quantum mechanics
Using a model collision operator we derive the dispersion relation for high frequency electrostatic waves in the lower ionosphere for daytime, midlatitude conditions. We find that the suprathermal electrons near 5 eV can excite unstable electron cyclotron and upper hybrid waves. The possible role of these instabilities in determining the shape of the photoelectron energy spectrum from 2 to 6 eV is briefly discussed.