HR: 0800h
AN: SA21A-0287    [Abstracts]
TI: The Effects of Lower Hybrid Waves on Ring Current Protons During Periods of Magnetic Disturbance
AU: * Bell, T F
EM: bell@nova.stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, STAR Laboratory Durand Building, Stanford, CA 94305 United States
AU: Inan, U S
EM: inan@nova.stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, STAR Laboratory Durand Building, Stanford, CA 94305 United States
AU: Platino, M
EM: platinom@stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, STAR Laboratory Durand Building, Stanford, CA 94305 United States
AB: Plasma wave data from the ISIS-1, ISEE-1, DE-1, and CLUSTER spacecraft suggest that the magnetosphere from L = 2 to L = 7 is commonly populated by small scale ( 2 - 100 m), small amplitude (0.1 - 1%) magnetic field aligned plasma density irregularities. Whistler mode waves propagating through regions containing these irregularities are commonly observed to excite lower hybrid waves through linear mode coupling as the irregularities scatter the whistler mode waves. During periods of magnetic disturbance intense whistler mode waves, such as ELF/VLF chorus, are generated near the magnetic equatorial plane on L shells in the range 3 - 7 and propagate towards lower latitudes. It can be expected that the intense chorus waves will also excite intense lower hybrid waves through linear mode coupling as the chorus waves propagate through regions containing the small scale irregularities. The excited lower hybrid waves generally have the appropriate phase velocities to interact with ring current protons through the transverse Landau resonance. In the present paper we calculate the pitch angle scattering of ring current protons due to transverse Landau interactions with lower hybrid waves excited through linear mode coupling during magnetically disturbed periods. We find the conditions under which this interaction could play an important role in determining the life time of ring current protons.
DE: 2716 Energetic particles: precipitating
DE: 2720 Energetic particles: trapped
DE: 2778 Ring current
DE: 2788 Magnetic storms and substorms (7954)
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005