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A theoretical interpretation of upstreaming electrons and elevated conics on auroral field lines
Author(s) -
AshourAbdalla Maha,
Schriver David
Publication year - 1989
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/gl016i001p00021
Subject(s) - electric field , ion , electron , physics , atomic physics , field line , instability , magnetic field , magnetosphere , excited state , field (mathematics) , computational physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , mechanics , pure mathematics
Recent VIKING satellite observations in the auroral zone have shown the association of elevated ion conics (conics with a low energy cutoff above zero) with upward streaming electrons in the presence of low frequency electric field fluctuations. A self‐consistent particle simulation was developed which assumed the presence of a steady state electric field on auroral zone field lines capable of accelerating ions up the magnetic field lines. Results from this study show that a low frequency ion‐ion two stream instability can be excited. This low frequency instability creates a fluctuating electric field which heats the ions oblique to the magnetic field forming distributions similar to the elevated ion conies. The ion‐ion waves also interact resonantly with electrons and accelerates them in the direction of the ion beam.