Van Allen Probes observations of structured whistler mode activity and coincident electron Landau acceleration inside a remnant plasmaspheric plume

J. R Woodroffe; V. K Jordanova; H. O Funsten; A. V Streltsov; M. T Bengtson; C. A Kletzing; J. R Wygant; S. A Thaller; A. W Breneman

doi:10.1002/2015JA022219

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Van Allen Probes observations of structured whistler mode activity and coincident electron Landau acceleration inside a remnant plasmaspheric plume

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Van Allen Probes observations of structured whistler mode activity and coincident electron Landau acceleration inside a remnant plasmaspheric plume

J. R Woodroffe, V. K Jordanova, H. O Funsten, A. V Streltsov, M. T Bengtson, C. A Kletzing, J. R Wygant, S. A Thaller and A. W Breneman

Journal of geophysical research. Space physics, Vol.122(3), pp.3073-3086

03/2017

DOI: 10.1002/2015JA022219

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Abstract

We present observations from the Van Allen Probes spacecraft that identify a region of intense whistler mode activity within a large density enhancement outside of the plasmasphere. We speculate that this density enhancement is part of a remnant plasmaspheric plume, with the observed wave being driven by a weakly anisotropic electron injection that drifted into the plume and became nonlinearly unstable to whistler emission. Particle measurements indicate that a significant fraction of thermal (<100 eV) electrons within the plume were subject to Landau acceleration by these waves, an effect that is naturally explained by whistler emission within a gradient and high-density ducting inside a density enhancement.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Van Allen Probes observations of structured whistler mode activity and coincident electron Landau acceleration inside a remnant plasmaspheric plume
Creators: J. R Woodroffe - Los Alamos National Laboratory
V. K Jordanova - Los Alamos National Laboratory
H. O Funsten - Los Alamos National Laboratory
A. V Streltsov - Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University
M. T Bengtson - Physical Sciences (United States)
C. A Kletzing - University of Iowa
J. R Wygant - University of Minnesota
S. A Thaller - University of Minnesota
A. W Breneman - University of Minnesota
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of geophysical research. Space physics, Vol.122(3), pp.3073-3086
DOI: 10.1002/2015JA022219
ISSN: 2169-9380
eISSN: 2169-9402
Grant note: DOI: 10.13039/100000104, name: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, award: NNG-13PJ05I; DOI: 10.13039/100000001, name: National Science Foundation, award: AGS-1141676; DOI: 10.13039/100000015, name: U.S. Department of Energy
Language: English
Date published: 03/2017
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984199689502771

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