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CRIT II electric, magnetic, and density measurements within an ionizing neutral stream
Author(s) -
Swenson C. M.,
Kelley M. C.,
Primdahl F.,
Baker K. D.
Publication year - 1990
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/gl017i013p02337
Subject(s) - electric field , physics , plasma , magnetic field , ionizing radiation , atomic physics , drift velocity , electric potential , computational physics , voltage , nuclear physics , irradiation , quantum mechanics
Measurements from rocket borne sensors inside a high velocity neutral barium beam show a factor of six increase in plasma density in a moving ionizing front. This region was co‐located with intense fluctuating electric fields (δE ≈ 300 mV/m) at frequencies well under the lower hybrid frequency for a barium plasma. Large quasi‐DC electric and magnetic field fluctuations were also detected with a large component of the current and the electric field parallel to B o . An Alfvén wave with a finite electric field component parallel to the geomagnetic field was observed to propagate along B o , where it was detected by an instrumented sub‐payload.