FAST observations of ULF waves injected into the magnetosphere by means ofmodulated RF heating of the auroral electrojet

Citation
Tr. Robinson et al., FAST observations of ULF waves injected into the magnetosphere by means ofmodulated RF heating of the auroral electrojet, GEOPHYS R L, 27(19), 2000, pp. 3165-3168
Citations number
10
Categorie Soggetti
Earth Sciences
Journal title
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
ISSN journal
00948276 → ACNP
Volume
27
Issue
19
Year of publication
2000
Pages
3165 - 3168
Database
ISI
SICI code
0094-8276(20001001)27:19<3165:FOOUWI>2.0.ZU;2-T
Abstract
Results are reported from an experiment in which the HF high power facility at Tromso was utilised to inject artificial ULF waves into the magnetosphe re by means of modulated heating of the auroral electrojet. Local electric field oscillations associated with the artificially stimulated ULF waves we re detected on board the FAST spacecraft, at an altitude of 2550 km. In add ition, a modulated downward flux of electrons was also detected. The artifi cially excited waves: together with these energised downward electrons, wer e observed in a narrow region only a few tens of km across the geomagnetic field, which mapped down the geomagnetic field line to the heated volume in the ionosphere. Furthermore, the downward flux exhibited energy dispersion in a manner that was consistent with the artificially excited waves having followed the geomagnetic field line out beyond the spacecraft? where they appear to have stimulated electron precipitation back down the field line.