[1] Observations from the FAST satellite are used to create a model for dispersive Alfvén waves above the auroral oval. Using this model, it is shown how these waves may accelerate ionospheric ions transverse to the geomagnetic field and cause ion outflow. The model waves grow from ionospheric conductivity variations due to auroral electron precipitation and resonate in the cavity between the ionosphere and the peak in the Alfvén speed that occurs at altitudes of $1 Earth radius (Re). By tracing ions in the model wave field, it is demonstrated that for transverse wave amplitudes (E ? ) satisfying E ? /B o < W i /k ? (where B o is the geomagnetic field strength, k ? is the perpendicular wave number, and W i is the ion gyrofrequency) the ion motion in the wave field is coherent and the ions may become trapped in the transverse wave potential. In Alfvén waves having two-dimensional structure transverse to B o , these ions may be accelerated up to a transverse energy that provides an ion gyrodiameter roughly equivalent to the perpendicular scale or wavelength (l ? ) of the wave. Alternatively, when E ? /B o > W i /k ? the ion motion may become stochastic allowing acceleration to energies exceeding that prescribed by l ? . The transversely accelerated ions in both the coherent and stochastic cases flow upward from the ionosphere under the influence of the mirror force to altitudes of 1 Earth radii over timescales as small as a few seconds to minutes with energies in the keV range. Ions accelerated by these means may account for the intense outflowing ion fluxes observed in Alfvén waves above the auroral oval.
[1] Using observations from the FAST small explorer spacecraft, we present fields and plasma observations above the dayside auroral oval showing the erosion of ionospheric plasmas from the topside ionosphere by the action of Alfvén waves. Using interferometric techniques, the waves are shown to approximately obey the expected dispersion for Alfvén waves with transverse scales extending from greater than electron inertial lengths down to ion gyroradii. Measurements of the plasma density where these waves are observed show that over latitudinal widths exceeding 100 km total depletion of the cold ionospheric plasma can occur. These depleted regions or cavities are populated by magnetosheath plasmas, upgoing transversely accelerated ionospheric ions, and downgoing field-aligned electrons. The ionospheric ions and field-aligned electrons are distributed as conics and beams, respectively. Poynting flux observations on the density gradients comprising the cavity walls show that these waves are directed downward and focused inward toward regions of lower density. Wave phase velocity measurements, while subject to significant uncertainty, show that the wave vector is directed transversely outward from the cavity. These observations suggest a feedback model for Alfvén wave focusing and ion heating on density gradients that can lead to intense ion outflow from the ionosphere and subsequent depletion of ionospheric plasmas.
[1] We report in situ observations from the Cluster and FAST spacecraft showing the deposition of energy into the auroral ionosphere from broadband ULF waves in the cusp and low-latitude boundary layer. A comparison of the wave Poynting flux with particle energy and flux at both satellites indicates that energy transfer from the broadband waves to the plasma occurs through field-aligned electron acceleration, transverse ion acceleration, and Joule heating. These processes are shown to result in precipitating electron fluxes sufficient to drive bright aurora and cause outflows of energized electrons and O + ions from the ionosphere into the low-latitude boundary layer. By solving an eigenmode equation for Alfvén waves in the observed plasma environment, it is shown that the broadband waves observed at Cluster and FAST are dispersive Alfvén waves. It is demonstrated that these waves have wavelengths perpendicular to the geomagnetic field extending from significant fractions of an L shell down to ion gyroradii and electron inertial lengths and wave frequencies in the plasma frame from 1 mHz up to 50 mHz. These waves are shown to have wavelengths along the geomagnetic field of the order of the field line length between the ionosphere and the equatorial plane and become field line resonances (FLRs) when on closed field lines. It is shown that the inclusion of nonlinear and/or nonlocal kinetic effects is required in the description of these waves to account for accelerated particles observed. On the basis of the wave polarization and spectral properties observed from Cluster and FAST it is speculated that these waves are generated through the mode conversion of surface Alfvén waves driven by tailward flows in the low-latitude boundary layer.Citation: Chaston, C. C., et al. (2005), Energy deposition by Alfvén waves into the dayside auroral oval: Cluster and FAST observations,
[1] The occurrence of Pi1B pulsations is well-documented, including the fact that these pulsations can be observed both on the ground and at geosynchronous orbit at substorm onset, although information about their propagation characteristics has been lacking. In this paper, data are presented from FAST, GOES 9 and various ground stations that show the simultaneous observations of Pi1B pulsations in association with an onset. While the data at GOES 9 show that the pulsations are compressional in nature, data from FAST show the presence of shear mode waves, implying that Pi1B mode conversion of some type must take place in the region between geosynchronous orbit and FAST altitudes. An additional point is that Pi1B pulsations apparently propagate through auroral phenomena routinely, begging the question of what role they may play.
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