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Generation of Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC)Waves in a Compressed Dayside Magnetosphere

Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) waves are believed to play an important
role in the dynamics of energetic particles (both electrons and ions) trapped
by the Earths magnetic field causing them to precipitate into the ionosphere via resonant interaction. In order to incorporate the EMIC-related loss processes into global magnetospheric models one needs to know solar wind and magnetospheric conditions favourable for EMIC wave excitation as well as the localization of the waves in the magnetosphere. EMIC waves are generated by anisotropic (Tperp/Tpara > 1) ion distributions. Generally, any process that leads to the formation of such distributions may be responsible for EMIC wave initiation. This thesis discusses magnetospheric compression as a new principal source of EMIC wave generation in the inner dayside magnetosphere.
First, using ground-based and satellite instrumentation, it is shown that EMIC
waves are often generated in the inner dayside magnetosphere during periods
of enhanced solar wind dynamic pressure and associated dayside magnetospheric compression. The compression-related EMIC wave activity usually lasts for several hours while the magnetosphere remains compressed. Also, it is demonstrated that EMIC waves are generated in radially narrow (1 Re wide) region of high plasma density, just inside the plasmapause.
Test particle simulations of energetic ion dynamics performed for this study
confirmed that anisotropic ion distributions are generated in the compressed
dayside magnetosphere, the temperature anisotropy being dependant on the
strength of magnetospheric compression. It is found that in the inner magnetosphere these anisotropic particle distributions are formed due to particle drift shell-splitting in an asymmetric magnetic field.
Finally, the generation of EMIC waves was studied self-consistently using a
hybrid particle-in-cell code in order to determine whether the degree of anisotropy estimated from the test particle simulations is sufficient to produce EMIC waves like those detected and to explain some of the observed wave properties.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:AEU.10048/1525
Date11 1900
CreatorsUsanova, Maria
ContributorsIan R. Mann (Physics), Richard D. Sydora (Physics), Frances R. Fenrich (Physics), Carlos F. Lange (Mechanical Engineering), Brian J. Anderson (Applied Physics Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland, USA)
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format27913925 bytes, application/pdf
RelationUsanova, M. E., I. R. Mann, I. J. Rae, Z. C. Kale, V. Angelopoulos, J. W. Bonnell, K. Glassmeier, H. U. Auster, and H. J. Singer (2008), Multipoint observations of magnetospheric compression-related EMIC Pc1 waves by THEMIS and CARISMA, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, 17, doi:10.1029/2008GL034458., Usanova, M. E., et al. (2010), Conjugate ground and multisatellite observations of compression-related EMIC Pc1 waves and associated proton precipitation, J. Geophys. Res., 115, 7208, doi:10.1029/2009JA014935.

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