Oxygen torus and its coincidence with EMIC wave in the deep inner magnetosphere: Van Allen Probe B and Arase observations.

Academic Article

Abstract

  • We investigate the longitudinal structure of the oxygen torus in the inner magnetosphere for a specific event found on 12 September 2017, using simultaneous observations from the Van Allen Probe B and Arase satellites. It is found that Probe B observed a clear enhancement in the average plasma mass (M) up to 3-4 amu at L = 3.3-3.6 and magnetic local time (MLT) = 9.0 h. In the afternoon sector at MLT ~ 16.0 h, both Probe B and Arase found no clear enhancements in M. This result suggests that the oxygen torus does not extend over all MLT but is skewed toward the dawn. Since a similar result has been reported for another event of the oxygen torus in a previous study, a crescent-shaped torus or a pinched torus centered around dawn may be a general feature of the O+ density enhancement in the inner magnetosphere. We newly find that an electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) wave in the H+ band appeared coincidently with the oxygen torus. From the lower cutoff frequency of the EMIC wave, the ion composition of the oxygen torus is estimated to be 80.6% H+, 3.4% He+, and 16.0% O+. According to the linearized dispersion relation for EMIC waves, both He+ and O+ ions inhibit EMIC wave growth and the stabilizing effect is stronger for He+ than O+. Therefore, when the H+ fraction or M is constant, the denser O+ ions are naturally accompanied by the more tenuous He+ ions, resulting in a weaker stabilizing effect (i.e., larger growth rate). From the Probe B observations, we find that the growth rate becomes larger in the oxygen torus than in the adjacent regions in the plasma trough and the plasmasphere.
  • Authors

  • Nosé, M
  • Matsuoka, A
  • Kumamoto, A
  • Kasahara, Y
  • Teramoto, M
  • Kurita, S
  • Goldstein, J
  • Kistler, Lynn
  • Singh, S
  • Gololobov, A
  • Shiokawa, K
  • Imajo, S
  • Oimatsu, S
  • Yamamoto, K
  • Obana, Y
  • Shoji, M
  • Tsuchiya, F
  • Shinohara, I
  • Miyoshi, Y
  • Kurth, WS
  • Kletzing, CA
  • Smith, CW
  • MacDowall, RJ
  • Spence, Harlan
  • Reeves, GD
  • Status

    Publication Date

  • 2020
  • Published In

    Keywords

  • EMIC wave
  • Inner magnetosphere
  • Ion composition
  • Oxygen torus
  • ULF wave
  • Digital Object Identifier (doi)

    Start Page

  • 111
  • Volume

  • 72
  • Issue

  • 1