HR: 09:45h
AN: SM21A-07    [PDF]
TI: Large-Amplitude Parallel Electric Fields Associated With Inertial Alfven Waves
AU: * Ergun, R E
EM: ree@lasp.colorafo.edu
AF: University of Colorado, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Boulder, CO 80303 United States
AU: Andersson, L
EM: andersson@vlasov.colorado.edu
AF: University of Colorado, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Boulder, CO 80303 United States
AU: Su, Y
EM: ysu@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: University of Colorado, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Boulder, CO 80303 United States
AU: Newman, D L
EM: David.Newman@colorado.edu
AF: University of Colorado, Center for Integrated Plasma Studies, Boulder, CO 80303 United States
AU: Goldman, M V
EM: goldman@spot.colorado.edu
AF: University of Colorado, Center for Integrated Plasma Studies, Boulder, CO 80303 United States
AU: Chaston, C C
EM: ccc@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: University of California, Space Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Carlson, C W
EM: cwc@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: University of California, Space Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Lotko, W
EM: William.Lotko@dartmouth.edu
AF: Dartmouth College, Physics Department, Hanover, NH 03755 United States
AB: We report observations of intense, localized parallel electric fields associated with inertial Alfven waves and accelerated electron fluxes. The parallel electric fields are localized to several hundred Debye lengths and carry potentials on the order of the energy of the accelerated electron fluxes. The structures are observed at the maxima or minima of the perturbation magnetic field of the Alfven wave indicating near-zero field-aligned currents. The localized electric field structures are not entirely consistent with published double layer models and may represent a new class of parallel electric field structures which are an important feature of the nonlinear evolution of Alfven waves and of the electron acceleration processes. These data are a unique example of cross-scale coupling from Alfven wavelengths to Debye scales.
DE: 2704 Auroral phenomena (2407)
DE: 2712 Electric fields (2411)
DE: 2736 Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions
DE: 2772 Plasma waves and instabilities
SC: SPA - Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting