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SPRG Seminars - Archive
November 22, 2005:
Whistler waves in the cusp region
Dr. Naiguo Lin, UCB/SSL
I will present observations of VLF/ELF wave activity from Cluster spacecraft showing distinct signatures for different regions in the vicinity of high altitude polar cusps, which are identified using magnetic field and plasma data along spacecraft trajectories. These waves include: (1) Broad band magnetic noise observed in the polar cusp at frequencies from several hertzs to ~100 Hz, below the local electron cyclotron frequency, fce. Similar magnetic noise is also observed in the high latitude magnetosheath and the magnetopause boundary layer. (2) Strong broad band electrostatic emissions observed in the cusp, in the magnetosheath, and in the high latitude magnetopause boundary layer, at frequencies extending from several hertzs to several kHz, with maximum intensities below ~100 Hz. (3) Narrow-band electromagnetic whistler waves at frequencies ~ 0.2-0.6 fce, frequently observed in the closed boundary layer (CBL) adjacent to the polar cusp. These waves are for the first time observed in this region to be accompanied by counter-streaming electron beams of ~ 100 eV, which suggests that the waves are excited by these electrons through wave-particle interaction. (4) Narrow-band electrostatic waves observed slightly above the local fce in the CBL. (5) Lion roars, observed in the high latitude magnetosheath near the cusp, often in magnetic troughs of mirror mode oscillations. The above wave signatures can serve as indicators of the regions in the vicinity of the magnetospheric cusp.