scholarly journals Sunward propagating Pc5 waves observed on the post-midnight magnetospheric flank

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1567-1579 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. T. I. Eriksson ◽  
L. G. Blomberg ◽  
S. Schaefer ◽  
K.-H. Glassmeier

Abstract. The overall focus on the driver of toroidal Pc5 waves has been on processes located at or acting on the dayside magnetopause and dayside flanks of the magnetosphere. These processes can generate waves that propagate tailward in the magnetosphere. However, an increasing number of studies, both theoretical and experimental, have looked at waves propagating sunward and that are caused by processes in the magnetotail. Here we present an ultra low frequency (ULF) wave observed in the post-midnight/morning sector of the magnetosphere at L=16 RE. The wave has a toroidal mode polarization. We estimate the azimuthal wave number to m=3, consistent with a toroidal mode type pulsation. The positive sign indicates that the wave is propagating sunward and this is confirmed by looking at the Poynting flux of the wave. The frequency of the wave is not constant with time but shows a small increase in the beginning of the event up to over 2.0 mHz. Then the frequency decreases to 1.0 mHz. This decrease coincides with a drop in the total magnetic field strength and we speculate if this is related to an observed reversal of the sign of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) By-component. This event occurs during relatively quiet magnetospheric conditions with a solar wind speed of approximately 400 km/s. Thus this event is highly likely to be driven by a source in the magnetotail and the change in frequency is an excellent example that the frequency of an ULF wave may be modulated by changes of the plasma parameters on the resonant field line.

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 885-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Kleindienst ◽  
K.-H. Glassmeier ◽  
S. Simon ◽  
M. K. Dougherty ◽  
N. Krupp

Abstract. Recent magnetic field investigations made onboard the Cassini spacecraft in the magnetosphere of Saturn show the existence of a variety of ultra low frequency plasma waves. Their frequencies suggest that they are presumably not eigenoscillations of the entire magnetospheric system, but excitations confined to selected regions of the magnetosphere. While the main magnetic field of Saturn shows a distinct large scale modulation of approximately 2 nT with a periodicity close to Saturn's rotation period, these ULF pulsations are less obvious superimposed oscillations with an amplitude generally not larger than 3 nT and show a package-like structure. We have analyzed these wave packages and found that they are correlated to a certain extent with the large scale modulation of the main magnetic field. The spatial localization of the ULF wave activity is represented with respect to local time and Kronographic coordinates. For this purpose we introduce a method to correct the Kronographic longitude with respect to a rotation period different from its IAU definition. The observed wave packages occur in all magnetospheric regions independent of local time, elevation, or radial distance. Independent of the longitude correction applied the wave packages do not occur in an accentuated Kronographic longitude range, which implies that the waves are not excited or confined in the same selected longitude ranges at all times or that their lifetime leads to a variable phase with respect to the longitudes where they have been exited.


2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 567-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Baddeley ◽  
T. K. Yeoman ◽  
D. M. Wright ◽  
K. J. Trattner ◽  
B. J. Kellet

Abstract. Many theories state that Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) waves with a high azimuthal wave number (m) have their energy source in wave-particle interactions, yet this assumption has been rarely tested numerically and thus many questions still remain as to the waves' exact generation mechanism. For the first time, this paper investigates the cause and effect relationship between the driving magnetospheric particle populations and the ULF wave signatures as observed in the conjugate ionosphere by quantitatively examining the energy exchange that occurs. Firstly, a Monte Carlo method is used to demonstrate statistically that the particle populations observed during conjugate ionospheric high m wave events have more free energy available than populations extracted at random. Secondly, this paper quantifies the energy transferred on a case study basis, for two classes of high m waves, by examining magnetospheric Ion Distribution Functions, (IDFs) and directly comparing these with the calculated wave energy dissipated into the conjugate ionosphere. Estimates of the wave energy at the source and the sink are in excellent agreement, with both being of the order of 1010J for a typical high m wave. Ten times more energy (1011J) is transferred from the magnetospheric particle population and dissipated in the ionosphere when considering a subset of high m waves known as giant pulsations (Pgs). Previous work has demonstrated that 1010J is frequently available from non - Maxwellian IDFs at L=6, whereas 1011J is not. The combination of these studies thus provides an explanation for both the rarity of Pgs and the ubiquity of other high m waves in this region.


2019 ◽  
Vol 627 ◽  
pp. A96 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bruno ◽  
D. Telloni ◽  
L. Sorriso-Valvo ◽  
R. Marino ◽  
R. De Marco ◽  
...  

Fluctuations of solar wind magnetic field and plasma parameters exhibit a typical turbulence power spectrum with a spectral index ranging between ∼5/3 and ∼3/2. In particular, at 1 AU, the magnetic field spectrum, observed within fast corotating streams, also shows a clear steepening for frequencies higher than the typical proton scales, of the order of ∼3 × 10−1 Hz, and a flattening towards 1/f at frequencies lower than ∼10−3 Hz. However, the current literature reports observations of the low-frequency break only for fast streams. Slow streams, as observed to date, have not shown a clear break, and this has commonly been attributed to slow wind intervals not being long enough. Actually, because of the longer transit time from the Sun, slow wind turbulence would be older and the frequency break would be shifted to lower frequencies with respect to fast wind. Based on this hypothesis, we performed a careful search for long-lasting slow wind intervals throughout 12 years of Wind satellite measurements. Our search, based on stringent requirements not only on wind speed but also on the level of magnetic compressibility and Alfvénicity of the turbulent fluctuations, yielded 48 slow wind streams lasting longer than 7 days. This result allowed us to extend our study to frequencies sufficiently low and, for the first time in the literature, we are able to show that the 1/f magnetic spectral scaling is also present in the slow solar wind, provided the interval is long enough. However, this is not the case for the slow wind velocity spectrum, which keeps the typical Kolmogorov scaling throughout the analysed frequency range. After ruling out the possible role of compressibility and Alfvénicity for the 1/f scaling, a possible explanation in terms of magnetic amplitude saturation, as recently proposed in the literature, is suggested.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Manners ◽  
Adam Masters

<p>The magnetosphere of Jupiter is the largest planetary magnetosphere in the solar system, and plays host to internal dynamics that remain, in many ways, mysterious. Prominent among these mysteries are the ultra-low-frequency (<strong>ULF</strong>) pulses ubiquitous in this system. Pulsations in the electromagnetic emissions, magnetic field and flux of energetic particles have been observed for decades, with little to indicate the source mechanism. While ULF waves have been observed in the magnetospheres of all the magnetized planets, the magnetospheric environment at Jupiter seems particularly conducive to the emergence of ULF waves over a wide range of periods (1-100+ minutes). This is mainly due to the high variability of the system on a global scale: internal plasma sources and a powerful intrinsic magnetic field produce a highly-compressible magnetospheric cavity, which can be reduced to a size significantly smaller than its nominal expanded state by variations in the dynamic pressure of the solar wind. Compressive fronts in the solar wind, turbulent surface interactions on the magnetopause and internal plasma processes can also all lead to ULF wave activity inside the magnetosphere.</p><p>To gain the first comprehensive view of ULF waves in the Jovian system, we have performed a heritage survey of magnetic field data measured by six spacecraft that visited the magnetosphere (Galileo, Ulysses, Voyager 1 & 2 and Pioneer 10 & 11). We found several-hundred wave events consisting of wave packets parallel or transverse to the mean magnetic field, interpreted as fast-mode or Alfvénic MHD wave activity, respectively. Parallel and transverse events were often coincident in space and time, which may be evidence of global Alfvénic resonances of the magnetic field known as field-line-resonances. We found that 15-, 30- and 40-minute periods dominate the Jovian ULF wave spectrum, in agreement with the dominant “magic frequencies” often reported in existing literature.</p><p>We will discuss potential driving mechanisms as informed by the results of the heritage survey, how this in turn affects our understanding of energy transfer in the magnetosphere, and potential investigations to be made using data from the JUNO spacecraft. We will also discuss the potential for multiple resonant cavities, and how the resonance modes of the Jovian magnetosphere may differ from those of the other magnetized planets.</p>


2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 721-726
Author(s):  
M. ROSENBERG

AbstractIn a magnetized plasma containing charged dust whose motion is magnetized, one of the fundamental collective modes that could occur is the electrostatic dust cyclotron (EDC) wave with frequency near the dust cyclotron frequency. The EDC wave propagates nearly perpendicular to the magnetic field with a small parallel wave number, so that it can be driven unstable by ion flow along the magnetic field. Because unstable parallel wavelengths can be relatively large, this places constraints on the plasma device size. In this paper, we use linear kinetic theory to investigate the excitation of higher harmonic EDC waves that have wavelengths smaller than that of the fundamental mode. Collisions of charged particles with neutrals and Coulomb collisions including dust–dust collisions are taken into account. Constraints on possible parameter ranges arising from collisional effects or from requiring stability of other waves are discussed. Numerical results are presented for possible sets of laboratory dusty plasma parameters.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Salohub ◽  
Jana Šafránkova ◽  
Zdeněk Němeček ◽  
Lubomír Přech ◽  
Tereza Ďurovcová

<p>The solar wind variations during particular solar cycles have been described in many previous studies including the solar cycle 23 that was characterized by a long, deep, and very complex solar minimum with very low values of many solar wind parameters.</p><p>Using statistical methods, we analyzed 25 years of Wind spacecraft measurements with motivation to reveal differences and similarities in magnetic field components and solar wind plasma parameters in individual solar cycles. We tracked the changes of the solar magnetic field strength, and components, solar wind speed, density, dynamic pressure, temperature, and composition). Except quiet solar wind conditions during solar minima and maxima, we also selected significant discontinuities (ICME and CIRs) and investigated their influence on profiles of average parameters. For this, we followed other quantities connected with their presence as their average front normals, regions of transitions between high and slow wind streams, special interplanetary magnetic field orientations, etc.). We discuss a behavior of investigated parameters over solar cycles as well as on shorter time scales (in the order of days and hours).</p>


1974 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Lakhina ◽  
B. Buti ◽  
Girija Nayar

Electromagnetic waves propagating transverse to an external magnetic field in a high-β (β being the ratio of the kinetic pressure to the magnetic pressure) plasma become unstable through purely growing modes when β∥e, (electron β parallel to the magnetic field) exceeds a certain minimum value β∥*. For J ≦ 2 (J being the distribution index), the region of instability consists of a single band of unstable wavenumbers k, whereas for J ≥ 3 more than one unstable wave number band may exist. The growth rates are largest for J = 0, and tend to decrease as J increases. The presence of hot ions increases the instability region by exciting a low-frequency instability. This instability gets excited at considerably lowered values of β‖e, and has growth rates of the order of ion cyclotron frequency. The effect of T‖i/T‖e and T‖e/T⊥e is destabilizing, whereas that of T⊥i/T⊥e is stabilizing.


2001 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Kirk ◽  
Y. Lyubarsky

AbstractThe spin-down power of a pulsar is thought to be carried away in an MHD wind in which, at least close to the star, the energy transport is dominated by Poynting flux. The pulsar drives a low frequency wave in this wind, consisting of stripes of toroidal magnetic field of alternating polarity, propagating in a region around the equatorial plane. The current implied by this configuration falls off more slowly with radius than the number of charged particles available to carry it, so that the MHD picture must, at some point, fail. Recently, magnetic reconnection in such a structure has been shown to accelerate the wind significantly. This reduces the magnetic field in the comoving frame and, consequently, the required current, enabling the solution to extend to much larger radius. This scenario is discussed and, for the Crab Nebula, the range of validity of the MHD solution is compared with the radius at which the flow appears to terminate. For sufficiently high particle densities, it is shown that a low frequency entropy wave can propagate out to the termination point. In this case, the ‘termination shock’ itself must be responsible for dissipating the wave.This paper is dedicated to Don Melrose on his 60th birthday.


In these experiments fast hydromagnetic waves are excited by discharging a capacitor through a single turn coil surrounding a cylindrical column of magnetized argon plasma. The plasma column is 200 cm long and 22 cm in diameter, and the axial magnetic field strength is varied in the range from 1 to 6 kG. The wave amplitude is typically 10 G, and the frequency is varied between 1.2 and 6 times the ion cyclotron frequency. Measurement of the radial variation and the relative amplitudes of the three components of the wave magnetic field shows that the oscillation is the lowest axially-symmetric mode. As predicted by the theory, the wave is elliptically polarized in the rθ plane with the magnetic vector rotating in the same sense as the electron cyclotron rotation. The experimental results demonstrate the cut-off of this mode both as the frequency is decreased and as the axial magnetic field strength is increased. Measurements of the axial wave number and absorption coefficient are in good numerical agreement with theoretical dispersion curves computed from the measured plasma parameters. This work provides quantitative evidence to support the theories currently used in treating hydromagnetic oscillations, both stable and unstable, of magnetized plasmas.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 697-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Pokhotelov ◽  
I. J. Rae ◽  
K. R. Murphy ◽  
I. R. Mann

Abstract. Magnetospheric ultra-low frequency (ULF) oscillations in the Pc 4–5 frequency range play an important role in the dynamics of Earth's radiation belts, both by enhancing the radial diffusion through incoherent interactions and through the coherent drift-resonant interactions with trapped radiation belt electrons. The statistical distributions of magnetospheric ULF wave power are known to be strongly dependent on solar wind parameters such as solar wind speed and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation. Statistical characterisation of ULF wave power in the magnetosphere traditionally relies on average solar wind–IMF conditions over a specific time period. In this brief report, we perform an alternative characterisation of the solar wind influence on magnetospheric ULF wave activity through the characterisation of the solar wind driver by its variability using the standard deviation of solar wind parameters rather than a simple time average. We present a statistical study of nearly one solar cycle (1996–2004) of geosynchronous observations of magnetic ULF wave power and find that there is significant variation in ULF wave powers as a function of the dynamic properties of the solar wind. In particular, we find that the variability in IMF vector, rather than variabilities in other parameters (solar wind density, bulk velocity and ion temperature), plays the strongest role in controlling geosynchronous ULF power. We conclude that, although time-averaged bulk properties of the solar wind are a key factor in driving ULF powers in the magnetosphere, the solar wind variability can be an important contributor as well. This highlights the potential importance of including solar wind variability especially in studies of ULF wave dynamics in order to assess the efficiency of solar wind–magnetosphere coupling.


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