Ky. Sanbonmatsu et al., Quasi-linear Zakharov simulations of Langmuir turbulence at rocket altitudes in the auroral ionosphere, J GEO R-S P, 106(A6), 2001, pp. 10519-10535
A quasi-linear Zakharov simulation model has been constructed to study inte
nse Langmuir waves and precipitating field-aligned electrons observed in th
e auroral ionosphere at altitudes below 1000 km. This self-consistent model
couples the magnetized Zakharov equations to a modified quasi-linear diffu
sion equation, which includes an advective term describing electrons stream
ing into the simulation region. Two-dimensional beam-driven simulations dem
onstrate that for the parameters of the auroral ionosphere below altitudes
of 1000 km, Langmuir wave-wave and wave-particle interactions occur on simi
lar timescales. The resulting reduced electron distribution has multiple sh
oulders and is a result of a balance between quasi-linear beam-flattening,
wave-wave instabilities and beam replenishment due to streaming electrons.