skip to main content


Search for: All records

Creators/Authors contains: "Kurth, William S."

Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.

  1. Abstract

    The present study uncovers the fine structures of magnetosonic waves by investigating the EFW waveforms measured by Van Allen Probes. We show that each harmonic of the magnetosonic wave may consist of a series of elementary rising‐tone emissions, implying a nonlinear mechanism for the wave generation. By investigating an elementary rising‐tone magnetosonic wave that spans a wide frequency range, we show that the frequency sweep rate is likely proportional to the wave frequency. We studied compound rising‐tone magnetosonic waves, and found that they typically consist of multiple harmonics in the source region, and may gradually become continuous in frequency as they propagate away from source. Both elementary and compound rising‐tone magnetosonic waves last for ∼1 min which is close to the bounce period of the ring proton distribution, but their relation is not fully understood.

     
    more » « less
  2. Abstract

    The present study addresses two basic questions related to banded chorus waves in the Earth’s magnetosphere: 1) are chorus spectral gaps formed near the equatorial source region or during propagation away from the equator? and 2) why are chorus spectral gaps usually located below 0.5fce(fce: electron gyro‐frequency)? By analyzing Van Allen Probes data, we demonstrate that chorus spectral gaps are observed in the source region where chorus waves propagate both in the parallel and anti‐parallel directions to the magnetic field. Chorus spectral gaps below 0.5fceare associated with electron parallel acceleration at energies above the equatorial Landau resonant energies. We explain that initially generated chorus waves quickly isotropize the electron distribution through Landau resonant acceleration, and the isotropization occurs for higher energies at higher latitudes. The isotropized population, after returning to the magnetic equator, leads to a chorus gap typically below 0.5fceby suppressing wave excitation.

     
    more » « less
  3. Abstract

    The two Van Allen Probes simultaneously recorded a coherently modulated quasiperiodic (QP) emission that persisted for 3 h. The magnetic field pulsation at the locations of the two satellites showed a substantial difference, and their frequencies were close to but did not exactly match the repetition frequency of QP emissions for most of the time, suggesting that those coherent QP emissions probably originated from a common source, which then propagated over a broad area in the magnetosphere. The QP emissions were amplified by local anisotropic electron distributions, and their large‐scale amplitudes were modulated by the plasma density. A novel observation of this event is that chorus waves at frequencies above QP emissions exhibit a strong correlation with QP emissions. Those chorus waves intensified when the QP emissions reach their peak frequency. This indicates that embryonic QP emissions may be critical for its own intensification as well as chorus waves under certain circumstances. A Low‐Earth‐Orbit POES satellite observed enhanced energetic electron precipitation in conjunction with the Van Allen Probes, providing direct evidence that QP emissions precipitate energetic electrons into the atmosphere. This scenario is quantitatively confirmed by our quasilinear diffusion simulation results.

     
    more » « less
  4. Abstract

    Suprathermal electrons (~0.1–10 keV) in the inner magnetosphere are usually observed in a 90°‐peaked pitch angle distribution, formed due to the conservation of the first and second adiabatic invariants as they are transported from the plasma sheet. We report a peculiar field‐aligned suprathermal electron (FASE) distribution measured by Van Allen Probes, where parallel fluxes are 1 order of magnitude higher than perpendicular fluxes. Those FASEs are found to be closely correlated with large‐amplitude hiss waves and are observed around the Landau resonant energies. We demonstrate, using quasilinear diffusion simulations, that hiss waves can rapidly accelerate suprathermal electrons through Landau resonance and create the observed FASE population. The proposed mechanism potentially has broad implications for suprathermal electron dynamics as well as whistler mode waves in the Earth's magnetosphere and has been demonstrated in the Jovian magnetosphere.

     
    more » « less