Extreme ionospheric ion energization and electron heating in Alfvén waves in the storm time inner magnetosphere

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-28-2015

Abstract

We report measurements of energized outflowing/bouncing ionospheric ions and heated electrons in the inner magnetosphere during a geomagnetic storm. The ions arrive in the equatorial plane with pitch angles that increase with energy over a range from tens of eV to > 50 keV while the electrons are field aligned up to ~1 keV. These particle distributions are observed during intervals of broadband low-frequency electromagnetic field fluctuations consistent with a Doppler-shifted spectrum of kinetic Alfvén waves and kinetic field line resonances. The fluctuations extend from L ≈ 3 out to the apogee of the Van Allen Probes spacecraft at L ≈ 6.5. They thereby span most of the L shell range occupied by the ring current. These measurements suggest a model for ionospheric ion outflow and energization driven by dispersive Alfvén waves that may account for the large storm time contribution of ionospheric ions to magnetospheric energy density.

Identifier

84955189583 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Geophysical Research Letters

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL066674

e-ISSN

19448007

ISSN

00948276

First Page

10531

Last Page

10540

Issue

24

Volume

42

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