Journal article
Small Scale Alfvénic Structure in the Aurora
Space science reviews, Vol.92(3), pp.423-533
05/2000
DOI: 10.1023/A:1005207202143
Abstract
This paper presents a comprehensive review of dispersive Alfvén waves in space and laboratory plasmas. We start with linear properties of Alfvén waves and show how the inclusion of ion gyroradius, parallel electron inertia, and finite frequency effects modify the Alfvén wave properties. Detailed discussions of inertial and kinetic Alfvén waves and their polarizations as well as their relations to drift Alfvén waves are presented. Up to date observations of waves and field parameters deduced from the measurements by Freja, Fast, and other spacecraft are summarized. We also present laboratory measurements of dispersive Alfvén waves, that are of most interest to auroral physics. Electron acceleration by Alfvén waves and possible connections of dispersive Alfvén waves with ionospheric-magnetospheric resonator and global field-line resonances are also reviewed. Theoretical efforts are directed on studies of Alfvén resonance cones, generation of dispersive Alfvén waves, as well their nonlinear interactions with the background plasma and self-interaction. Such topics as the dispersive Alfvén wave ponderomotive force, density cavitation, wave modulation/filamentation, and Alfvén wave self-focusing are reviewed. The nonlinear dispersive Alfvén wave studies also include the formation of vortices and their dynamics as well as chaos in Alfvén wave turbulence. Finally, we present a rigorous evaluation of theoretical and experimental investigations and point out applications and future perspectives of auroral Alfvén wave physics.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Small Scale Alfvénic Structure in the Aurora
- Creators
- K Stasiewicz - Swedish Institute of Space PhysicsP Bellan - California Institute of TechnologyC Chaston - University of California, BerkeleyC Kletzing - University of IowaR Lysak - University of MinnesotaJ Maggs - University of California, Los AngelesO Pokhotelov - Institute of Physics of the Earth, Moscow, RussiaC Seyler - Cornell UniversityP Shukla - Ruhr University BochumL Stenflo - Umeå UniversityA Streltsov - Dartmouth CollegeJ.-E Wahlund - Swedish Institute of Space Physics
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Space science reviews, Vol.92(3), pp.423-533
- Publisher
- Kluwer Academic Publishers
- DOI
- 10.1023/A:1005207202143
- ISSN
- 0038-6308
- eISSN
- 1572-9672
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 05/2000
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984199857202771
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