A statistical study of EMIC waves observed by Cluster: 2. Associated plasma conditions

Academic Article

Abstract

  • AbstractThis is the second in a pair of papers discussing a statistical study of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves detected during 10 years (2001–2010) of Cluster observations. In the first paper, an analysis of EMIC wave properties (i.e., wave power, polarization, normal angle, and wave propagation angle) is presented in both the magnetic latitude (MLAT)‐distance as well as magnetic local time (MLT)‐L frames. This paper focuses on the distribution of EMIC wave‐associated plasma conditions as well as two EMIC wave generation proxies (the electron plasma frequency to gyrofrequency ratio proxy and the linear theory proxy) in these same frames. Based on the distributions of hot H+ anisotropy, electron and hot H+ density measurements, hot H+ parallel plasma beta, and the calculated wave generation proxies, three source regions of EMIC waves appear to exist: (1) the well‐known overlap between cold plasmaspheric or plume populations with hot anisotropic ring current populations in the postnoon to dusk MLT region; (2) regions all along the dayside magnetosphere at high L shells related to dayside magnetospheric compression and drift shell splitting; and (3) off‐equator regions possibly associated with the Shabansky orbits in the dayside magnetosphere.
  • Authors

  • Allen, RC
  • Zhang, J-C
  • Kistler, Lynn
  • Spence, Harlan
  • Lin, R-L
  • Klecker, B
  • Dunlop, MW
  • Andre, M
  • Jordanova, VK
  • Status

    Publication Date

  • July 2016
  • Published In

    Keywords

  • Cluster
  • EMIC waves
  • Shabansky orbits
  • magnetosphere
  • Digital Object Identifier (doi)

    Start Page

  • 6458
  • End Page

  • 6479
  • Volume

  • 121
  • Issue

  • 7