Bibliography





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Found 35 entries in the Bibliography.


Showing entries from 1 through 35


2021

Observational evidence of the excitation of magnetosonic waves by an He ion ring distribution

Abstract We report plasma wave observations of equatorial magnetosonic waves at integer harmonics of the local gyrofrequency of doubly-ionized helium (He). The waves were observed by Van Allen Probe A on 08 Feb 2014 when the spacecraft was in the afternoon magnetic local time sector near inside of the plasmasphere. Analysis of the complementary in-situ energetic ion measurements (1-300 keV) reveals the presence of a helium ion ring distribution centered near 30 keV. Theoretical linear growth rate calculations suggest that the local plasma and field conditions can support the excitation of the magnetosonic waves from the unstable ring distribution. This represents the first report of the generation of magnetosonic equatorial noise via a ring distribution in energetic He ions in the near-Earth space plasma environment.

Claudepierre, S.; Liu, X.; Chen, L.; Takahashi, K.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 07/2021

YEAR: 2021     DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JA029532

magnetosonic waves; ion Bernstein waves; ring distribution; alpha particles; Plasma instability; ring current; Van Allen Probes

Multi-Instrument Characterisation of Magnetospheric Cold Plasma Dynamics in the 22 June 2015 Geomagnetic Storm

Abstract We present a comparison of magnetospheric plasma mass/electron density observations during an 11-day interval which includes the geomagnetic storm of 22 June 2015. For this study we used: equatorial plasma mass density derived from geomagnetic field line resonances (FLRs) detected by Van Allen Probes and at the ground-based magnetometer networks EMMA and CARISMA; in situ electron density inferred by the Neural-network-based Upper hybrid Resonance Determination algorithm applied to plasma wave Van Allen Probes measurements. The combined observations at L ∼ 4, MLT ∼ 16 of the two longitudinally-separated magnetometer networks show a temporal pattern very similar to that of the in situ observations: a density decrease by an order of magnitude about 1 day after the Dst minimum, a partial recovery a few hours later, and a new strong decrease soon after. The observations are consistent with the position of the measurement points with respect to the plasmasphere boundary as derived by a plasmapause test particle simulation. A comparison between plasma mass densities derived from ground and in situ FLR observations during favourable conjunctions shows a good agreement. We find however, for L < ∼3, the spacecraft measurements to be higher than the corresponding ground observations with increasing deviation with decreasing L, which might be related to the rapid outbound spacecraft motion in that region. A statistical analysis of the average ion mass using simultaneous spacecraft measurements of mass and electron density indicates values close to 1 amu in plasmasphere and higher values (∼ 2-3 amu) in plasmatrough. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Vellante, M.; Takahashi, K.; Del Corpo, A.; Zhelavskaya, I.; Goldstein, J.; Mann, I.; Pietropaolo, E.; Reda, J.; Heilig, B.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 06/2021

YEAR: 2021     DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JA029292

magnetoseismology; plasmasphere; Field line resonance; ground-based magnetometers; Van Allen Probes; Swarm satellites

Nodal Structure of Toroidal Standing Alfvén Waves and Its Implication for Field Line Mass Density Distribution

Abstract We have conducted a statistical study of toroidal mode standing Alfvén waves detected by the Van Allen Probes spacecraft in the dayside inner magnetosphere, with an emphasis on the nodal structure of the fundamental through fifth harmonics. We developed a technique to accurately assign harmonic mode numbers to peaks in the power spectra of the electric (Eν) and magnetic (Bϕ) field components of toroidal waves and then determine the spectral intensities of Eν and Bϕ and the coherence and cross-phase between these field components for each harmonic. The magnetic latitude (MLAT) dependence of these quantities was statistically examined to determine the location of the nodes. In addition to the equatorial nodes located close to the equator (MLAT = 0), we identified several nodes away from the equator within the MLAT range from − 20° to + 20°. We found that the Eν-Bϕ cross-phase is very close to ±90° except near the nodes, indicating that the fixed-end approximation is appropriate in modeling dayside toroidal waves. Noting that the node latitudes depend on the distribution of the mass density (ρ) along the background magnetic field, we inferred the distribution from the nodes observed at L = 4–6. If we adopt a model field line mass density (ρ) distribution of the form ρ ∝ (1/r)α, where r is geocentric distance to the field line and α is a free parameter, the statistically determined node latitudes indicate that α ∼ 1.5 is appropriate for both the plasmasphere and the plasmatrough.

Takahashi, Kazue; Denton, Richard;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 03/2021

YEAR: 2021     DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028981

Toroidal Alfven waves; inner magnetosphere; Nodal structure; Field line mass density distribution; Van Allen Probes

2019

Multiharmonic Toroidal Standing Alfv\ en Waves in the Midnight Sector Observed During a Geomagnetically Quiet Period

Excitation of toroidal mode standing Alfv\ en waves in the midnight sector of the inner magnetosphere in association with substorms is well documented, but studies are sparse on dayside sources for the waves. This paper reports observation of midnight toroidal waves by the Van Allen Probe B spacecraft during a geomagnetically quiet period on 12\textemdash13 May 2013. The spacecraft detected toroidal waves excited at odd harmonics below 30 mHz as it moved within the plasmasphere from ~2100 magnetic local time (MLT) to ~0030 MLT through midnight in the dipole L range 4.2\textemdash6.1. The frequencies and the relationship between the electric and magnetic field components of the waves are consistent with theoretical toroidal waves for a reflecting ionosphere. At the time of the nightside toroidal waves, compressional waves were observed by geostationary satellites located on the dayside, and the amplitudes of both types of waves varied with the cone angle of the interplanetary magnetic field. The nightside toroidal waves were likely driven by fast mode waves that resulted from transmission of upstream ultralow frequency waves into the magnetosphere. Ground magnetometers located near the footprint of the spacecraft did not detect toroidal waves.

Takahashi, Kazue; Vellante, Massimo; Del Corpo, Alfredo; Claudepierre, Seth; Kletzing, Craig; Wygant, John; Koga, Kiyokazu;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 12/2019

YEAR: 2019     DOI: 10.1029/2019JA027370

Ion foreshock; Nightside magnetosphere; Toroidal Alfven waves; Van Allen Probe; Van Allen Probes

Low-Energy (+ Ion Outflow Directly Into the Inner Magnetosphere: Van Allen Probes Observations

The heavy ion component of the low-energy (eV to hundreds of eV) ion population in the inner magnetosphere, also known as the O+ torus, is a crucial population for various aspects of magnetospheric dynamics. Yet even though its existence has been known since the 1980s, its formation remains an open question. We present a comprehensive study of a low-energy (

Gkioulidou, Matina; Ohtani, S.; Ukhorskiy, A; Mitchell, D.; Takahashi, K.; Spence, H.; Wygant, J.; Kletzing, C.; Barnes, R.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 01/2019

YEAR: 2019     DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025862

inner magnetosphere; O+ outflow; Van Allen Probes

2018

Roles of Flow Braking, Plasmaspheric Virtual Resonances, and Ionospheric Currents in Producing Ground Pi2 Pulsations

In one model, Pi2 pulsations are driven pulse by pulse by fast mode pulses that are launched as periodic bursty bulk flows brake when they approach the Earth. We have examined this model by analyzing data from multiple spacecraft and ground magnetometers for a Pi2 pulsation event. During the event, which started at \~2226 UT on 8 November 2014, Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS)-D detected an \~2 min period plasma bulk flow oscillation in the near-Earth magnetotail, while THEMIS-E and Van Allen Probes-B, both located on the nightside just earthward of the electron plasmapause, detected a Pi2 pulsation consisting of a 10 mHz oscillation in the azimuthal component of the electric field and a 19-mHz oscillation in the compressional component of the magnetic field. On the ground, magnetic field oscillations containing both frequencies were observed both on the nightside and on the dayside. The nightside observations indicated that the pulsation had a radially standing structure, which is consistent with plasmaspheric virtual resonances (PVRs) excited in a magnetohydrodynamic simulation assuming an impulsive energy source. Cross-spectral analysis of the magnetotail flow oscillation and the Pi2 pulsation indicated low coherence between them. These results suggest that the flow oscillation contributed to the Pi2 pulsation as a broadband energy source and that only the spectral components matching the PVR frequencies were detected with well-defined frequencies. Ionospheric currents connected to the PVRs may be responsible for the appearance of the pulsation on the dayside.

Takahashi, Kazue; Hartinger, Michael; Vellante, Massimo; Heilig, azs; Lysak, Robert; Lee, Dong-Hun; Smith, Charles;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 09/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025664

Van Allen Probes

Impulsively Excited Nightside Ultralow Frequency Waves Simultaneously Observed On and Off the Magnetic Equator

The Arase spacecraft is capable of observing ultralow-frequency waves in the inner magnetosphere at intermediate magnetic latitudes, a region sparsely covered by previous space craft missions. We report a series of impulsively excited fundamental toroidal mode standing Alfv\ en waves in the midnight sector observed by Arase outside the plasmasphere at magnetic latitudes 13\textendash24\textdegree . The wave onsets are concurrent with Pi2 onsets detected by the Van Allen Probe B spacecraft at the magnetic equator in the duskside plasmasphere and by ground magnetometers at low latitudes. The duration of each toroidal wave packet is \~20 min, which is much longer than that of the corresponding Pi2 wave packet. The toroidal waves cannot be the source of high-latitude Pi2 waves because they were not detected on the ground near the magnetic field footprint of Arase. Overall, the toroidal wave event lasted more than 2 h and allowed us to use the wave frequency to estimate the plasma mass density at L = 6.1\textendash8.3. The mass density (in amu cm-3) is higher than the electron density (in cm-3) by a factor of \~6, which implies that 17\textendash33\% of the ions were O+.

Takahashi, Kazue; Denton, Richard; Motoba, Tetsuo; Matsuoka, Ayako; Kasaba, Yasumasa; Kasahara, Yoshiya; Teramoto, Mariko; Shoji, Masafumi; Takahashi, Naoko; Miyoshi, Yoshizumi; e, Masahito; Kumamoto, Atsushi; Tsuchiya, Fuminori; Redmon, Robert; Rodriguez, Juan;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 07/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1029/2018GL078731

Van Allen Probes

Impulsively Excited Nightside Ultralow Frequency Waves Simultaneously Observed On and Off the Magnetic Equator

The Arase spacecraft is capable of observing ultralow-frequency waves in the inner magnetosphere at intermediate magnetic latitudes, a region sparsely covered by previous space craft missions. We report a series of impulsively excited fundamental toroidal mode standing Alfv\ en waves in the midnight sector observed by Arase outside the plasmasphere at magnetic latitudes 13\textendash24\textdegree . The wave onsets are concurrent with Pi2 onsets detected by the Van Allen Probe B spacecraft at the magnetic equator in the duskside plasmasphere and by ground magnetometers at low latitudes. The duration of each toroidal wave packet is \~20 min, which is much longer than that of the corresponding Pi2 wave packet. The toroidal waves cannot be the source of high-latitude Pi2 waves because they were not detected on the ground near the magnetic field footprint of Arase. Overall, the toroidal wave event lasted more than 2 h and allowed us to use the wave frequency to estimate the plasma mass density at L = 6.1\textendash8.3. The mass density (in amu cm-3) is higher than the electron density (in cm-3) by a factor of \~6, which implies that 17\textendash33\% of the ions were O+.

Takahashi, Kazue; Denton, Richard; Motoba, Tetsuo; Matsuoka, Ayako; Kasaba, Yasumasa; Kasahara, Yoshiya; Teramoto, Mariko; Shoji, Masafumi; Takahashi, Naoko; Miyoshi, Yoshizumi; e, Masahito; Kumamoto, Atsushi; Tsuchiya, Fuminori; Redmon, Robert; Rodriguez, Juan;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 07/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1029/2018GL078731

Van Allen Probes

Response of Different Ion Species to Local Magnetic Dipolarization Inside Geosynchronous Orbit

This paper examines how hydrogen, helium and oxygen (H, He and O) ion fluxes at 1\textendash1000 keV typically respond to local magnetic dipolarization inside geosynchronous orbit (GEO). We extracted 144 dipolarizations which occurred at magnetic inclination > 30\textdegree from the 2012\textendash2016 tail seasons\textquoteright observations of the Van Allen Probes spacecraft and then defined typical flux changes of these ion species by performing a superposed epoch analysis. On average, the dipolarization inside GEO is accompanied by a precursory transient decrease in the northward magnetic field component, transient impulsive enhancement in the westward electric field component, and decrease (increase) in the proton density (temperature). The coincident ion species experience an energy-dependent flux change, consisting of enhancement (depression) at energies above (below) ~50 keV. These properties morphologically resemble those around dipolarization fronts (or fast flows) in the near-Earth tail. A distinction among the ion species is the average energy of the flux ratio peak, being at 200\textendash400 keV (100\textendash200 keV) for He (H and O) ions. The flux ratio peaks at different energies likely reflect the different charge states of injected ionospheric- and/or solar wind-origin ion species. The ion spectra become harder for sharp dipolarizations, suggesting the importance of accompanying electric field in transporting and/or energizing the ions efficiently. Interestingly, the average flux ratio peak does not differ significantly among the ion species for ~2 min after onset, which implies that mass-dependent acceleration process is less important in the initial stage of dipolarization.

Motoba, T.; Ohtani, S.; Gkioulidou, M.; Ukhorskiy, A.; Mitchell, D.; Takahashi, K.; Lanzerotti, L.; Kletzing, C.; Spence, H.; Wygant, J.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 06/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025557

deep inside geosynchronous orbit; dipolarizations; Ion injections; ion species; Van Allen Probes

Spatial Development of the Dipolarization Region in the Inner Magnetosphere

The present study examines dipolarization events observed by the Van Allen Probes within 5.8 RE from Earth. It is found that the probability of occurrence is significantly higher in the dusk-to-midnight sector than in the midnight-to-dawn sector, and it deceases sharply earthward. A comparison with observations made at nearby satellites shows that dipolarization signatures are often highly correlated (c.c. > 0.8) within 1 hr in MLT and 1 RE in RXY, and the dipolarization region expands earthward and westward in the dusk-to-midnight sector. The westward expansion velocity is estimated at 0.4 hr (in MLT) per minute, or 60 km/s, which is consistent with the previously reported result for geosynchronous dipolarization. The earthward expansion is apparently less systematic than the westward expansion. Its velocity is estimated at 50 km/s (0.5 RE/min), comparable to the westward expansion velocity, but it is suggested that the earthward expansion slows down as the dipolarization region approaches Earth, and it eventually stops. This idea is consistent with the earthward reduction of the occurrence probability of dipolarization events. Whereas this earthward expansion is difficult to explain with the conventional wedge current system, it may be understood in terms of a current system with two wedges, one with the R1 polarity outside and the other with the R2 polarity closer to Earth. For such a current system the region of dipolarization is confined in radial distance between the two wedge currents, and it is considered to expand earthward as the R2-sense wedge moves earthward along with injected plasma.

Ohtani, S.; Motoba, T.; Gkioulidou, M.; Takahashi, K.; Singer, H.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 06/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025443

Dipolarization; injection; inner magnetosphere; R1 and R2 currents; substorm current wedge; substorms; Van Allen Probes

Poloidal mode wave-particle interactions inferred from Van Allen Probes and CARISMA ground-based observations

Ultra-low-frequency (ULF) wave and test particle models are used to investigate the pitch angle and energy dependence of ion differential fluxes measured by the Van Allen Probes spacecraft on October 6th, 2012. Analysis of the satellite data reveals modulations in differential flux resulting from drift resonance between H+ ions and fundamental mode poloidal Alfv\ en waves detected near the magnetic equator at L\~5.7. Results obtained from simulations reproduce important features of the observations, including a substantial enhancement of the differential flux between \~20\textdegree - 40\textdegree pitch angle for ion energies between \~90 - 220keV, and an absence of flux modulations at 90\textdegree. The numerical results confirm predictions of drift-bounce resonance theory and show good quantitative agreement with observations of modulations in differential flux produced by ULF waves.

Wang, C.; Rankin, R.; Wang, Y.; Zong, Q.-G.; Zhou, X.; Takahashi, K.; Marchand, R.; Degeling, A.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 05/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1029/2017JA025123

ULF wave; drift-resonant; test particle simulation; Van Allen Probes

Van Allen Probes Observation of a Fundamental Poloidal Standing Alfv\ en Wave Event Related to Giant Pulsations

The Van Allen Probes-A spacecraft observed an \~9 mHz ultra-low-frequency wave on 6 October 2012, at L\~ 5.7, in the dawn sector, and very near the magnetic equator. The wave had a strong electric field that was initially stronger in the azimuthal component and later in the radial component, exhibited properties of a fundamental standing Alfv\ en wave, and was associated with giant pulsations observed on the ground near the magnetic field footprint of the spacecraft. The wave was accompanied by oscillations of the flux of energetic protons (jH+). The amplitude of urn:x-wiley:jgra:media:jgra54254:jgra54254-math-0001 oscillations was large at equatorial pitch angles away from 90\textdegree, and the energy dependence of the phase and amplitude of the oscillations exhibited features consistent with drift resonance of \~140 keV protons with a westward-propagating wave having an azimuthal wave number of \~-40. The wave was detected when the spacecraft entered a region of an earthward gradient of the proton phase space density, in support of a theoretical prediction that such a gradient can drive fundamental poloidal waves.

Takahashi, Kazue; Claudepierre, S.; Rankin, Robert; Mann, Ian; Smith, C.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 05/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1029/2017JA025139

drift resonance; Fundamental standing Alfven wave; Giant pulsation; Proton flux oscillation; Van Allen Probes

Van Allen Probes observations of drift-bounce resonance and energy transfer between energetic ring current protons and poloidal Pc4 wave

A poloidal Pc4 wave and proton flux oscillations are observed in the inner magnetosphere on the dayside near the magnetic equator by the Van Allen Probes spacecraft on 2 March 2014. The flux oscillations are observed in the energy range of 67.0 keV to 268.8 keV with the same frequency of the poloidal Pc4 wave. We find pitch angle and energy dispersion in the phase difference between the poloidal magnetic field and the proton flux oscillations, which are features of drift-bounce resonance. We estimate the resonance energy to be ~120 keV for pitch angle (α) of 30\textdegree or 150\textdegree, and 170\textendash180 keV for α = 50\textdegree or 130\textdegree. To examine the direction of energy flow between protons and the wave, we calculate the sign of the gradient of proton phase space density (df/dW) on both the inbound and outbound legs of the orbit. We find the gradient to be outward on both legs, which means that energy is transferred from the protons to the wave. During the poloidal Pc4 wave event, the Dst* index shows a measurable increase of ~6.7 nT. We estimate the total energy loss of the ring current from the recovery of the Dst* index and from the variation of proton flux by the drift-bounce resonance. We suggest that energy transfer from the ring current protons to the poloidal Pc4 wave via the drift-bounce resonance contributes to up to ~85 \% of the increase of the Dst* index.

Oimatsu, S.; e, M.; Takahashi, K.; Yamamoto, K.; Keika, K.; Kletzing, C.; Smith, C.; MacDowall, R.; Mitchell, D.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 04/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1029/2017JA025087

Van Allen Probes

Observation and Numerical Simulation of Cavity Mode Oscillations Excited by an Interplanetary Shock

Cavity mode oscillations (CMOs) are basic magnetohydrodynamic eigenmodes in the magnetosphere predicted by theory and are expected to occur following the arrival of an interplanetary shock. However, observational studies of shock-induced CMOs have been sparse. We present a case study of a dayside ultra-low-frequency (ULF) wave event that exhibited CMO properties. The event occurred immediately following the arrival of an interplanetary shock at 0829 UT on 15 August 2015. The shock was observed in the solar wind by the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms-B and -C spacecraft, and magnetospheric ULF waves were observed by multiple spacecraft including the Van Allen Probes-A and -B spacecraft, which were located in the dayside plasmasphere at L\~ 1.4 and L\~ 2.4, respectively. Both Van Allen Probes spacecraft detected compressional poloidal mode oscillations at \~13 mHz (fundamental) and \~26 mHz (second harmonic). At both frequencies, the azimuthal component of the electric field (Eϕ) lagged behind the compressional component of the magnetic field (Bμ) by \~90o. The frequencies and the Eϕ-Bμ relative phase are in good agreement with the CMOs generated in a dipole magnetohydrodynamic simulation that incorporates a realistic plasma mass density distribution and ionospheric boundary condition. The oscillations were also detected on the ground by the European quasi-Meridional Magnetometer Array, which was located near the magnetic field footprints of the Van Allen Probes spacecraft.

Takahashi, Kazue; Lysak, Robert; Vellante, Massimo; Kletzing, Craig; Hartinger, Michael; Smith, Charles;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 02/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024639

Cavity mode oscillations; interplanetary shock; Van Allen Probes

Van Allen Probes Observations of Second Harmonic Poloidal Standing Alfv\ en Waves

Long-lasting second-harmonic poloidal standing Alfv\ en waves (P2 waves) were observed by the twin Van Allen Probes (Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP) spacecraft in the noon sector of the plasmasphere, when the spacecraft were close to the magnetic equator and had a small azimuthal separation. Oscillations of proton fluxes at the wave frequency (\~10 mHz) were also observed in the energy (W) range 50\textendash300 keV. Using the unique RBSP orbital configuration, we determined the phase delay of magnetic field perturbations between the spacecraft with a 2nπ ambiguity. We then used finite gyroradius effects seen in the proton flux oscillations to remove the ambiguity and found that the waves were propagating westward with an azimuthal wave number (m) of \~-200. The phase of the proton flux oscillations relative to the radial component of the wave magnetic field progresses with W, crossing 0 (northward moving protons) or 180\textdegree (southward moving protons) at W \~ 120 keV. This feature is explained by drift-bounce resonance (mωd \~ ωb) of \~120 keV protons with the waves, where ωd and ωb are the proton drift and bounce frequencies. At lower energies, the proton phase space density ( math formula) exhibits a bump-on-tail structure with math formula occurring in the 1\textendash10 keV energy range. This math formula is unstable and can excite P2 waves through bounce resonance (ω \~ ωb), where ω is the wave frequency.

Takahashi, Kazue; Oimatsu, Satoshi; e, Masahito; Min, Kyungguk; Claudepierre, Seth; Chan, Anthony; Wygant, John; Kim, Hyomin;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 01/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024869

bounce and drift-bounce resonances; energetic protons; plasmasphere; poloidal ULF waves; second harmonic; Van Allen Probes

2017

Global observations of magnetospheric high- m poloidal waves during the 22 June 2015 magnetic storm

We report global observations of high-m poloidal waves during the recovery phase of the 22 June 2015 magnetic storm from a constellation of widely spaced satellites of five missions including Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS), Van Allen Probes, Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorm (THEMIS), Cluster, and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). The combined observations demonstrate the global spatial extent of storm time poloidal waves. MMS observations confirm high azimuthal wave numbers (m ~ 100). Mode identification indicates the waves are associated with the second harmonic of field line resonances. The wave frequencies exhibit a decreasing trend as L increases, distinguishing them from the single-frequency global poloidal modes normally observed during quiet times. Detailed examination of the instantaneous frequency reveals discrete spatial structures with step-like frequency changes along L. Each discrete L shell has a steady wave frequency and spans about 1 RE, suggesting that there exist a discrete number of drift-bounce resonance regions across L shells during storm times.

Le, G.; Chi, P.; Strangeway, R.; Russell, C.; Slavin, J.; Takahashi, K.; Singer, H.; Anderson, B.; Bromund, K.; Fischer, D.; Kepko, E.; Magnes, W.; Nakamura, R.; Plaschke, F.; Torbert, R.;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 04/2017

YEAR: 2017     DOI: 10.1002/2017GL073048

field line resonances; high-m poloidal waves; magnetic storm; magnetospheric multiscale mission; ULF waves; Van Allen Probes

Second harmonic poloidal waves observed by Van Allen Probes in the dusk-midnight sector

This paper presents observations of ultralow-frequency (ULF) waves from Van Allen Probes. The event that generated the ULF waves occurred 2 days after a minor geomagnetic storm during a geomagnetically quiet time. Narrowband pulsations with a frequency of about 7 mHz with moderate amplitudes were registered in the premidnight sector when Probe A was passing through an enhanced density region near geosynchronous orbit. Probe B, which passed through the region earlier, did not detect the narrowband pulsations but only broadband noise. Despite the single-spacecraft measurements, we were able to determine various wave properties. We find that (1) the observed waves are a second harmonic poloidal mode propagating westward with an azimuthal wave number estimated to be \~100; (2) the magnetic field fluctuations have a finite compressional component due to small but finite plasma beta (\~0.1); (3) the energetic proton fluxes in the energy ranging from above 10 keV to about 100 keV exhibit pulsations with the same frequency as the poloidal mode and energy-dependent phase delays relative to the azimuthal component of the electric field, providing evidence for drift-bounce resonance; and (4) the second harmonic poloidal mode may have been excited via the drift-bounce resonance mechanism with free energy fed by the inward radial gradient of \~80 keV protons. We show that the wave active region is where the plume overlaps the outer edge of ring current and suggest that this region can have a wide longitudinal extent near geosynchronous orbit.

Min, Kyungguk; Takahashi, Kazue; Ukhorskiy, Aleksandr; Manweiler, Jerry; Spence, Harlan; Singer, Howard; Claudepierre, Seth; Larsen, Brian; Soto-Chavez, Rualdo; Cohen, Ross;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 03/2017

YEAR: 2017     DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023770

drift-bounce resonance; high m ULF waves; Second harmonic poloidal mode; Van Allen Probes

Second harmonic poloidal waves observed by Van Allen Probes in the dusk-midnight sector

This paper presents observations of ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves from Van Allen Probes. The event that generated the ULF waves occurred two days after a minor geomagnetic storm during a geomagnetically quiet time. Narrowband pulsations with a frequency of about 7 mHz with moderate amplitudes were registered in the pre-midnight sector when Probe A was passing through an enhanced density region near geosynchronous orbit. Probe B, which passed through the region earlier, did not detect the narrowband pulsations but only broadband noise. Despite the single-spacecraft measurements, we were able to determine various wave properties. We find that (1) the observed waves are a second harmonic poloidal mode propagating westward with an azimuthal wave number estimated to be \~100; (2) the magnetic field fluctuations have a finite compressional component due to small but finite plasma beta (\~0.1); (3) the energetic proton fluxes in the energy ranging from above 10 keV to about 100 keV exhibit pulsations with the same frequency as the poloidal mode and energy-dependent phase delays relative to the azimuthal component of the electric field, providing evidence for drift-bounce resonance; and (4) the second harmonic poloidal mode may have been excited via the drift-bounce resonance mechanism with free energy fed by the inward radial gradient of \~80 keV protons. We show that the wave active region is where the plume overlaps the outer edge of ring current and suggest that this region can have a wide longitudinal extent near geosynchronous orbit.

Min, Kyungguk; Takahashi, Kazue; Ukhorskiy, Aleksandr; Manweiler, Jerry; Spence, Harlan; Singer, Howard; Claudepierre, Seth; Larsen, Brian; Soto-Chavez, Rualdo; Cohen, Ross;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 02/2017

YEAR: 2017     DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023770

drift-bounce resonance; high m ULF waves; Second harmonic poloidal mode; Van Allen Probes

Externally driven plasmaspheric ULF waves observed by the Van Allen Probes

We analyze data acquired by the Van Allen Probes on 8 November 2012, during a period of extended low geomagnetic activity, to gain new insight into plasmaspheric ultralow frequency (ULF) waves. The waves exhibited strong spectral power in the 5\textendash40 mHz band and included multiharmonic toroidal waves visible up to the eleventh harmonic, unprecedented in the plasmasphere. During this wave activity, the interplanetary magnetic field cone angle was small, suggesting that the waves were driven by broadband compressional ULF waves originating in the foreshock region. This source mechanism is supported by the tailward propagation of the compressional magnetic field perturbations at a phase velocity of a few hundred kilometers per second that is determined by the cross-phase analysis of data from the two spacecraft. We also find that the coherence and phase delay of the azimuthal components of the magnetic field from the two spacecraft strongly depend on the radial separation of the spacecraft and attribute this feature to field line resonance effects. Finally, using the observed toroidal wave frequencies, we estimate the plasma mass density for L = 2.6\textendash5.8. By comparing the mass density with the electron number density that is estimated from the spectrum of plasma waves, we infer that the plasma was dominated by H+ ions and was distributed uniformly along the magnetic field lines. The electron density is higher than the prediction of saturated plasmasphere models, and this \textquotedblleftsuper saturated\textquotedblright plasmasphere and the uniform ion distribution are consistent with the low geomagnetic activity that prevailed.

Takahashi, Kazue; Denton, Richard; Kurth, William; Kletzing, Craig; Wygant, John; Bonnell, John; Dai, Lei; Min, Kyungguk; Smith, Charles; MacDowall, Robert;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 01/2017

YEAR: 2017     DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020373

multispacecraft observation; plasmasphere; ULF waves; Van Allen Probes

2016

Void structure of O + ions in the inner magnetosphere observed by the Van Allen Probes

The Van Allen Probes Helium Oxygen Proton Electron instrument observed a new type of enhancement of O+ ions in the inner magnetosphere during substorms. As the satellite moved outward in the premidnight sector, the flux of the O+ ions with energy ~10 keV appeared first in the energy-time spectrograms. Then, the enhancement of the flux spread toward high and low energies. The enhanced flux of the O+ ions with the highest energy remained, whereas the flux of the ions with lower energy vanished near apogee, forming what we call the void structure. The structure cannot be found in the H+ spectrogram. We studied the generation mechanism of this structure by using numerical simulation. We traced the trajectories of O+ ions in the electric and magnetic fields from the global magnetohydrodynamics simulation and calculated the flux of O+ ions in the inner magnetosphere in accordance with the Liouville theorem. The simulated spectrograms are well consistent with the ones observed by Van Allen Probes. We suggest the following processes. (1) When magnetic reconnection starts, an intensive equatorward and tailward plasma flow appears in the plasma lobe. (2) The flow transports plasma from the lobe to the plasma sheet where the radius of curvature of the magnetic field line is small. (3) The intensive dawn-dusk electric field transports the O+ ions earthward and accelerates them nonadiabatically to an energy threshold; (4) the void structure appears at energies below the threshold.

Nakayama, Y.; Ebihara, Y.; Ohtani, S.; Gkioulidou, M.; Takahashi, K.; Kistler, L.; Tanaka, T.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 11/2016

YEAR: 2016     DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023013

injections; nonadiabatic acceleration; substorms; Van Allen Probes

Propagation of ULF waves from the upstream region to the midnight sector of the inner magnetosphere

Ultralow frequency (ULF) waves generated in the ion foreshock are a well-known source of Pc3-Pc4 waves (7\textendash100 mHz) observed in the dayside magnetosphere. We use data acquired on 10 April 2013 by multiple spacecraft to demonstrate that ULF waves of upstream origin can propagate to the midnight sector of the inner magnetosphere. At 1130\textendash1730 UT on the selected day, the two Van Allen Probes spacecraft and the geostationary ETS-VIII satellite detected compressional 20 to 40 mHz magnetic field oscillations between L \~ 4 and L \~ 7 in the midnight sector, along with other spacecraft located closer to noon. Upstream origin of the oscillations is concluded from the wave frequency that matches a theoretical model, globally coherent amplitude modulation, and duskward propagation that is consistent with expected entry of the upstream wave energy through the dawnside flank under the observed interplanetary magnetic field. The oscillations are attributed to magnetohydrodynamic fast-mode waves based on their propagation velocity of \~300 km/s and the relationship between the electric and magnetic field perturbations. The magnitude of the azimuthal wave number is estimated to be \~30. There is no evidence that the oscillations propagated to the ground in the midnight sector.

Takahashi, Kazue; Hartinger, Michael; Malaspina, David; Smith, Charles; Koga, Kiyokazu; Singer, Howard; ühauff, Dennis; Baishev, Dmitry; Moiseev, Alexey; Yoshikawa, Akimasa;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 08/2016

YEAR: 2016     DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022958

midnight sector; Pc3 waves; plasmasphere; upstream waves; Van Allen Probes

2015

Kinetic Alfv\ en Waves and Particle Response Associated with a Shock-Induced, Global ULF Perturbation of the Terrestrial Magnetosphere

On 2 October 2013, the arrival of an interplanetary shock compressed the Earth\textquoterights magnetosphere and triggered a global ULF (ultra low frequency) oscillation. The Van Allen Probe B spacecraft observed this large-amplitude ULF wave in situ with both magnetic and electric field data. Broadband waves up to approximately 100 Hz were observed in conjunction with, and modulated by, this ULF wave. Detailed analysis of fields and particle data reveals that these broadband waves are Doppler-shifted kinetic Alfv\ en waves. This event suggests that magnetospheric compression by interplanetary shocks can induce abrupt generation of kinetic Alfv\ en waves over large portions of the inner magnetosphere, potentially driving previously unconsidered wave-particle interactions throughout the inner magnetosphere during the initial response of the magnetosphere to shock impacts.

Malaspina, David; Claudepierre, Seth; Takahashi, Kazue; Jaynes, Allison; Elkington, Scot; Ergun, Robert; Wygant, John; Reeves, Geoff; Kletzing, Craig;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 11/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2015GL065935

inner magnetosphere; interplanetary shock; Kinetic Alfven Waves; magnetosphere shock response; plasma waves; ULF waves; Van Allen Probes

Multifrequency compressional magnetic field oscillations and their relation to multiharmonic toroidal mode standing Alfv\ en waves

The power spectrum of the compressional component of magnetic fields observed by the Van Allen Probes spacecraft near the magnetospheric equator in the dayside plasmasphere sometimes exhibits regularly spaced multiple peaks at frequencies below 50 mHz. We show by detailed analysis of events observed on two separate days in early 2014 that the frequencies change smoothly with the radial distance of the spacecraft and appear at or very near the frequencies of the odd harmonics of mutiharmonic toroidal mode standing Alfv\ en waves seen in the azimuthal component of the magnetic field. Even though the compressional component had a low amplitude on one of the selected days, its spectral properties are highlighted by computing the ratio of the spectral powers of time series data obtained from two spatially separated Van Allen Probes spacecraft. The spectral similarity of the compressional and azimuthal components suggests that the compressional component contains field line resonance characteristics.

Takahashi, Kazue; Waters, Colin; Glassmeier, Karl-Heinz; Kletzing, Craig; Kurth, William; Smith, Charles;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 11/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021780

Compressional oscillations; Field line resonance; Pc3-Pc4 band; plasmasphere; Van Allen Probes

Giant pulsations on the afternoonside: Geostationary satellite and ground observations

Giant pulsations (Pgs) are a special class of oscillations recognized in ground magnetometer records as exhibiting highly regular sinusoidal waveforms in the east-west component with periods around 100s. Previous statistical studies showed that Pgs occur almost exclusively on the morningside with peak occurrence in the postmidnight sector. In this paper, we present observations of Pgs extending to the afternoonside, using data from the GOES13 and 15 geostationary satellites and multiple ground magnetometers located in North America. For a long-lasting event on 29 February 2012, which spanned \~08\textendash18h magnetic local time, we show that basic Pg properties did not change with the local time, although the period of the pulsations was longer at later local time due to increasing mass loading. There is evidence that the Pgs resulted from fundamental poloidal mode standing Alfv\ en waves, both on the morning and afternoonsides. Oscillations of energetic particles associated with the field oscillations exhibited an energy-dependent phase, which has previously been reported and explained by drift resonance. A statistical analysis of the ground magnetic field data (L = 3.8\textendash7.4) covering 2008\textendash2013 confirms that afternoon Pgs are not unusual. We identified a total of 105 Pg events (about 70\% (30\%) of the events occurred during non-storm (late storm recovery) periods), 31 of which occurred on the afternoonside. The afternoon Pgs occur under solar wind and geomagnetic conditions that are similar to the morning Pgs, but the afternoon Pgs tend to have short durations and occur frequently in winter instead of around spring and fall equinoxes that are favored by the morning Pgs.

Motoba, Tetsuo; Takahashi, Kazue; Rodriguez, Juan; Russell, Christopher;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 10/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021592

giant pulsations; ground-space conjunction; wave-particle interactions

Correlated Pc4-5 ULF waves, whistler-mode chorus and pulsating aurora observed by the Van Allen Probes and ground-based systems

Theory and observations have linked equatorial VLF waves with pulsating aurora for decades, invoking the process of pitch-angle scattering of 10\textquoterights keV electrons in the equatorial magnetosphere. Recently published satellite studies have strengthened this argument, by showing strong correlation between pulsating auroral patches and both lower-band chorus and 10\textquoterights keV electron modulation in the vicinity of geosynchronous orbit. Additionally, a previous link has been made between Pc4-5 compressional pulsations and modulation of whistler-mode chorus using THEMIS. In the current study, we present simultaneous in-situ observations of structured chorus waves and an apparent field line resonance (in the Pc4-5 range) as a result of a substorm injection, observed by Van Allen Probes, along with ground-based observations of pulsating aurora. We demonstrate the likely scenario being one of substorm-driven Pc4-5 ULF pulsations modulating chorus waves, and thus providing the driver for pulsating particle precipitation into the Earth\textquoterights atmosphere. Interestingly, the modulated chorus wave and ULF wave periods are well correlated, with chorus occurring at half the periodicity of the ULF waves. We also show, for the first time, a particular few-Hz modulation of individual chorus elements that coincides with the same modulation in a nearby pulsating aurora patch. Such modulation has been noticed as a high-frequency component in ground-based camera data of pulsating aurora for decades, and may be a result of nonlinear chorus wave interactions in the equatorial region.

Jaynes, A.; Lessard, M.; Takahashi, K.; Ali, A.; Malaspina, D.; Michell, R.; Spanswick, E.; Baker, D.; Blake, J.; Cully, C.; Donovan, E.; Kletzing, C.; Reeves, G.; Samara, M.; Spence, H.; Wygant, J.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 07/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021380

aurora; precipitation; pulsating aurora; substorms; ULF waves; Van Allen Probes; VLF waves

Storm-time occurrence and Spatial distribution of Pc4 poloidal ULF waves in the inner magnetosphere: A Van Allen Probes Statistical study

Poloidal ULF waves are capable of efficiently interacting with energetic particles in the ring current and the radiation belt. Using Van Allen Probes (RBSP) data from October 2012 to July 2014, we investigate the spatial distribution and storm-time occurrence of Pc4 (7-25 mHz) poloidal waves in the inner magnetosphere. Pc4 poloidal waves are sorted into two categories: waves with and without significant magnetic compressional components. Two types of poloidal waves have comparable occurrence rates, both of which are much higher during geomagnetic storms. The non-compressional poloidal waves mostly occur in the late recovery phase associated with an increase of Dst toward 0, suggesting that the decay of the ring current provides their free energy source. The occurrence of dayside compressional Pc4 poloidal waves is found correlated with the variation of the solar wind dynamic pressure, indicating their origin in the solar wind. Both compressional and non-compressional waves preferentially occur on the dayside near noon at L~5-6. In addition, compressional poloidal waves are observed at MLT 18-24 on the nightside. The location of the Pc4 poloidal waves relative to the plasmapause is investigated. The RBSP statistical results may shed light on the in-depth investigations of the generation and propagation of Pc4 poloidal waves.

Dai, Lei; Takahashi, Kazue; Lysak, Robert; Wang, Chi; Wygant, John; Kletzing, Craig; Bonnell, John; Cattell, Cynthia; Smith, Charles; MacDowall, Robert; Thaller, Scott; Breneman, Aaron; Tang, Xiangwei; Tao, Xin; Chen, Lunjin;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 05/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021134

Geomagnetic storm; Pc4 ULF waves; poloidal waves; ring current; solar wind dynamic pressure; Van Allen Probes

Link between pre-midnight second harmonic poloidal waves and auroral undulations: Conjugate observations with a Van Allen Probes spacecraft and a THEMIS all-sky imager

We report, for the first time, an auroral undulation event on 1 May 2013 observed by an all-sky imager (ASI) at Athabasca (L = 4.6), Canada, for which in situ field and particle measurements in the conjugate magnetosphere were available from a Van Allen Probes spacecraft. The ASI observed a train of auroral undulation structures emerging spontaneously in the pre-midnight subauroral ionosphere, during the growth phase of a substorm. The undulations had an azimuthal wavelength of ~180 km and propagated westward at a speed of 3\textendash4 km s-1. The successive passage over an observing point yielded quasi-periodic oscillations in diffuse auroral emissions with a period of ~40 s. The azimuthal wave number m of the auroral luminosity oscillations was found to be m ~ -103. During the event the spacecraft \textendash being on tailward stretched field lines ~0.5 RE outside the plasmapause that mapped into the ionosphere conjugate to the auroral undulations \textendash encountered intense poloidal ULF oscillations in the magnetic and electric fields. We identify the field oscillations to be the second harmonic mode along the magnetic field line through comparisons of the observed wave properties with theoretical predictions. The field oscillations were accompanied by oscillations in proton and electron fluxes. Most interestingly, both field and particle oscillations at the spacecraft had one-to-one association with the auroral luminosity oscillations around its footprint. Our findings strongly suggest that this auroral undulation event is closely linked to the generation of second harmonic poloidal waves

Motoba, T.; Takahashi, K.; Ukhorskiy, A.; Gkioulidou, M.; Mitchell, D.; Lanzerotti, L.; Korotova, G.; Donovan, E.; Wygant, J.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Blake, J.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 02/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020863

Van Allen Probes

Energetic electron injections deep into the inner magnetosphere associated with substorm activity

From a survey of the first nightside season of NASA\textquoterights Van Allen Probes mission (Dec/2012 \textendash Sep/2013), 47 energetic (10s to 100s of keV) electron injection events were found at L-shells <= 4, all of which are deeper than any previously reported substorm-related injections. Preliminary details from these events are presented, including how: all occurred shortly after dipolarization signatures and injections were observed at higher L-shells; the deepest observed injection was at L~2.5; and, surprisingly, L<=4 injections are limited in energy to <=250 keV. We present a detailed case study of one example event revealing that the injection of electrons down to L~3.5 was different from injections observed at higher L and likely resulted from drift resonance with a fast magnetosonic wave in the Pi 2 frequency range inside the plasmasphere. These observations demonstrate that injections occur at very low L-shells and may play an important role for inner zone electrons.

Turner, D.; Claudepierre, S.; Fennell, J.; O\textquoterightBrien, T.; Blake, J.; Lemon, C.; Gkioulidou, M.; Takahashi, K.; Reeves, G.; Thaller, S.; Breneman, A.; Wygant, J.; Li, W.; Runov, A.; Angelopoulos, V.;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 02/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2015GL063225

energetic particle injections; inner magnetosphere; Radiation belts; substorms; THEMIS; Van Allen Probes

2014

Externally driven plasmaspheric ULF waves observed by the Van Allen Probes

We analyze data acquired by the Van Allen Probes on 8 November 2012, during a period of extended low geomagnetic activity, to gain new insight into plasmaspheric ultra-low-frequency (ULF) waves. The waves exhibited strong spectral power in the 5\textendash40 mHzband and included multiharmonic toroidal waves visible up to the 11th harmonic, unprecedented in the plasmasphere. During this wave activity, the interplanetary magnetic field cone angle was small, suggesting that the waves were driven by broadband compressional ULF waves originating in the foreshock region. This source mechanism is supported by the tailward propagation of the compressional magnetic field perturbations at a phase velocity of a few hundred kilometers per second that is determined bythe cross phase analysis of data from the two spacecraft. We also find that the coherence and phase delay of the azimuthal components of the magnetic field from the two spacecraft strongly depend on the radial separation of the spacecraft and attribute this feature to field line resonance effects. Finally, using the observed toroidal wave frequencies, we estimate the plasma mass density for L = 2.6\textendash5.8. By comparing the mass density with the electron number density that is estimated from the spectrum of plasma waves, we infer that the plasma was dominated by H+ ions and was distributed uniformly along the magnetic field lines. The electron density is higher than the prediction of saturated plasmasphere models, and this \textquotedblleftsuper saturated\textquotedblright plasmasphere and the uniform ion distribution are consistent with the low geomagnetic activity that prevailed.

Takahashi, Kazue; Denton, Richard; Kurth, William; Kletzing, Craig; Wygant, John; Bonnell, John; Dai, Lei; Min, Kyungguk; Smith, Charles; MacDowall, Robert;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 12/2014

YEAR: 2014     DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020373

multispacecraft observation; Van Allen Probes; plasmasphere; ULF waves

Equivalent Circuit Model for the Electric Field Sensitivity of a Magnetic Search Coil of Space Plasma

Magnetic search coils (MSCs) are sensitive to both magnetic and electric fields, but detecting electric fields is unnecessary for magnetic observations of plasma waves. However, it is important to evaluate both sensitivities for different geometries and electrostatic shields to avoid electric field pickup. An equivalent circuit model for the electric field sensitivity of an MSC in a collisionless isotropic cold plasma is developed here using electrical coupling through a sheath capacitance. That sensitivity is defined by a relationship between the MSC impedance and the sheath capacitance. To confirm the validity of the circuit model, the sensitivity to an electric field is measured by imposing an external electric field using charged parallel metallic plates in laboratory experiments. The coupling capacitance between the MSC and the charged plates is equivalent to the sheath capacitance in a space plasma. The measured results show good agreement with an approximate expression deduced from the equivalent circuit model.

Ozaki, Mitsunori; Yagitani, Satoshi; Takahashi, Ken; Imachi, Tomohiko; Koji, Hiroki; Higashi, Ryoichi;

Published by: IEEE Sensors Journal      Published on: 10/2014

YEAR: 2014     DOI: 10.1109/JSEN.2014.2365495

electric field sensitivity; Magnetic search coils; sheath impedance; space plasmas

Rotationally driven zebra stripes in Earth s inner radiation belt

Structured features on top of nominally smooth distributions of radiation-belt particles at Earth have been previously associated with particle acceleration and transport mechanisms powered exclusively by enhanced solar-wind activity1, 2, 3, 4. Although planetary rotation is considered to be important for particle acceleration at Jupiter and Saturn5, 6, 7, 8, 9, the electric field produced in the inner magnetosphere by Earth\textquoterights rotation can change the velocity of trapped particles by only about 1\textendash2 kilometres per second, so rotation has been thought inconsequential for radiation-belt electrons with velocities of about 100,000 kilometres per second. Here we report that the distributions of energetic electrons across the entire spatial extent of Earth\textquoterights inner radiation belt are organized in regular, highly structured and unexpected \textquoteleftzebra stripes\textquoteright, even when the solar-wind activity is low. Modelling reveals that the patterns are produced by Earth\textquoterights rotation. Radiation-belt electrons are trapped in Earth\textquoterights dipole-like magnetic field, where they undergo slow longitudinal drift motion around the planet because of the gradient and curvature of the magnetic field. Earth\textquoterights rotation induces global diurnal variations of magnetic and electric fields that resonantly interact with electrons whose drift period is close to 24 hours, modifying electron fluxes over a broad energy range into regular patterns composed of multiple stripes extending over the entire span of the inner radiation belt.

Ukhorskiy, A; Sitnov, M.; Mitchell, D.; Takahashi, K; Lanzerotti, L.; Mauk, B.;

Published by: Nature      Published on: 01/2014

YEAR: 2014     DOI: 10.1038/nature13046

Magnetospheric physics; Van Allen Probes

2013

Van Allen Probes observation of localized drift-resonance between poloidal mode ultra-low frequency waves and 60 keV electrons

[1] We present NASA Van Allen Probes observations of wave-particle interactions between magnetospheric ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves and energetic electrons (20\textendash500 keV) on 31 October 2012. The ULF waves are identified as the fundamental poloidal mode oscillation and are excited following an interplanetary shock impact on the magnetosphere. Large amplitude modulations in energetic electron flux are observed at the same period (≈ 3 min) as the ULF waves and are consistent with a drift-resonant interaction. The azimuthal mode number of the interacting wave is estimated from the electron measurements to be ~40, based on an assumed symmetric drift resonance. The drift-resonant interaction is observed to be localized and occur over 5\textendash6 wave cycles, demonstrating peak electron flux modulations at energies ~60 keV. Our observation clearly shows electron drift resonance with the fundamental poloidal mode, the energy dependence of the amplitude and phase of the electron flux modulations providing strong evidence for such an interaction. Significantly, the observation highlights the importance of localized wave-particle interactions for understanding energetic particle dynamics in the inner magnetosphere, through the intermediary of ULF waves.

Claudepierre, S.; Mann, I.R.; Takahashi, K; Fennell, J.; Hudson, M.; Blake, J.; Roeder, J.; Clemmons, J.; Spence, H.; Reeves, G.; Baker, D.; Funsten, H.; Friedel, R.; Henderson, M.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Wygant, J.;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 09/2013

YEAR: 2013     DOI: 10.1002/grl.50901

RBSP; Van Allen Probes

Excitation of Poloidal standing Alfven waves through the drift resonance wave-particle interaction

Drift-resonance wave-particle interaction is a fundamental collisionless plasma process studied extensively in theory. Using cross-spectral analysis of electric field, magnetic field, and ion flux data from the Van Allen Probe (Radiation Belt Storm Probes) spacecraft, we present direct evidence identifying the generation of a fundamental mode standing poloidal wave through drift-resonance interactions in the inner magnetosphere. Intense azimuthal electric field (Eφ) oscillations as large as 10mV/m are observed, associated with radial magnetic field (Br) oscillations in the dawn-noon sector near but south of the magnetic equator at L\~5. The observed wave period, Eφ/Br ratio and the 90\textdegree phase lag between Br and Eφ are all consistent with fundamental mode standing Poloidal waves. Phase shifts between particle fluxes and wave electric fields clearly demonstrate a drift resonance with \~90 keV ring current ions. The estimated earthward gradient of ion phase space density provides a free energy source for wave generation through the drift-resonance instability. A similar drift-resonance process should occur ubiquitously in collisionless plasma systems. One specific example is the \textquotedblleftfishbone\textquotedblright instability in fusion plasma devices. In addition, our observations have important implications for the long-standing mysterious origin of Giant Pulsations.

Dai, L.; Takahashi, K; Wygant, J.; Chen, L.; Bonnell, J; Cattell, C.; Thaller, S.; Kletzing, C.; Smith, C.; MacDowall, R.; Baker, D.; Blake, J.; Fennell, J.; Claudepierre, S.; Funsten, H.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 08/2013

YEAR: 2013     DOI: 10.1002/grl.50800

RBSP; Van Allen Probes

2005

Impact of toroidal ULF waves on the outer radiation belt electrons

Relativistic electron fluxes in the outer radiation belt exhibit highly variable complex behavior. Previous studies have established a strong correlation of electron fluxes and the inner magnetospheric ULF waves in the Pc 3\textendash5 frequency range. Resonant interaction of ULF waves with the drift motion of radiation belt electrons violates their third adiabatic invariant and consequently leads to their radial transport. If the wave-particle interaction has a stochastic character, then the electron transport is diffusive. The goal of this paper is to analyze the impact of toroidal ULF waves on radiation belt electrons. The study is based on direct measurements of ULF electric fields on the CRRES spacecraft. We show that the electric fields of inner magnetospheric toroidal ULF waves exhibit high asymmetry in magnetic local time and have narrow-band frequency spectra. Such narrow-band waves can induce radial diffusion of energetic electrons, if an extrinsic stochasticity is introduced in the system. The quasi-periodic variations in the solar wind dynamic pressure are identified as a possible source of extrinsic stochasticity. In the asymmetric magnetic field, drifting electrons can interact with both azimuthal and radial electric field components. We derive analytically and then calculate numerically the diffusion rates associated with azimuthal and radial electric field components of the waves. It is shown that even under highly disturbed geomagnetic conditions, when the background field asymmetry is large, the diffusion rates due to the radial field component are small. At the same time, the resonant scattering of energetic electrons by the azimuthal electric field of the waves provides an efficient form of radial diffusion and therefore can play an important role in the dynamics of the outer radiation belt.

Ukhorskiy, A; Takahashi, K; Anderson, B.; Korth, H.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research      Published on: 10/2005

YEAR: 2005     DOI: 10.1029/2005JA011017

Radial Transport

2001

Substorm injection of relativistic electrons to geosynchronous orbit during the great magnetic storm of March 24, 1991

The great March 1991 magnetic storm and the immediately preceding solar energetic particle event (SEP) were among the largest observed during the past solar cycle, and have been the object of intense study. We investigate here, using data from eight satellites, the very large delayed buildup of relativistic electron flux in the outer zone during a 1.5-day period beginning 2 days after onset of the main phase of this storm. A notable feature of the March storm is the intense substorm activity throughout the period of the relativistic flux buildup, and the good correlation between some temporal features of the lower-energy substorm-injected electron flux and the relativistic electron flux at geosynchronous orbit. Velocity dispersion analysis of these fluxes between geosynchronous satellites near local midnight and local noon shows evidence that both classes of electrons arrive at geosynchronous nearly simultaneously within a few hours of local midnight. From this we conclude that for this storm period the substorm inductive electric field transports not only the usual (50\textendash300 keV) substorm electrons but also the relativistic (0.3 to several MeV) electrons to geosynchronous orbit. A simplified calculation of the electron ε \texttimes B and gradient/curvature drifts indicates that sufficiently strong substorm dipolarization inductive electric fields (≳ 10 mV/m) could achieve this, provided sufficient relativistic electrons are present in the source region. Consistent with this interpretation, we find that the injected relativistic electrons have a pitch angle distribution that is markedly peaked perpendicular to the magnetic field. Furthermore, the equatorial phase space density at geosynchronous orbit (L = 6.7) is greater than it is at GPS orbit at the equator (L = 4.2) throughout this buildup period, indicating that a source for the relativistic electrons lies outside geosynchronous orbit during this time. Earthward transport of the relativistic electrons by large substorm dipolarization fields, since it is unidirectional, would constitute a strong addition to the transport by radial diffusion and, when it occurs, could result in unusually strong relativistic fluxes, as is reported here for this magnetic storm.

Ingraham, J.; Cayton, T.; Belian, R.; Christensen, R.; Friedel, R.; Meier, M.; Reeves, G.; Takahashi, K;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research      Published on: 11/2001

YEAR: 2001     DOI: 10.1029/2000JA000458

Substorm Injections



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