HR: 0800h
AN: SM51A-0267    [Abstracts]
TI: Ion and Electron Accelerations by Large-Scale Shear Alfvén Waves Via Cross-Field Instabilities
AU: * Khazanov, I
EM: khazanov@ece.uah.edu
AF: Electrical and computer Engineering, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL 35803, United States
AU: Singh, N
EM: singh@ece.uah.edu
AF: Electrical and computer Engineering, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL 35803, United States
AB: Using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations we study the linear and nonlinear effects of a large-scale shear Alfvén wave (LS-SAW) propagating parallel to the ambient magnetic field. We demonstrate that ion polarization drift in the propagating SAW drives cross-field instability (CFI) by ion-electron coupling and produces electrostatic (ES) waves, which accelerate electrons parallel and ions perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. Even though the large-scale SAW has no parallel electric fields, the parallel electric field of the ES waves embedded in LS-SAW provide a novel acceleration mechanism for the electrons moving with the group velocity of the LS-SAW. Examining data from satellite observations, we find that the mechanism of CFI for plasma acceleration/heating powered by LS-SAWs is distinctly possible on auroral field lines.
DE: 2437 Ionospheric dynamics
DE: 2451 Particle acceleration
DE: 2704 Auroral phenomena (2407)
DE: 2736 Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions (2431)
DE: 2752 MHD waves and instabilities (2149, 6050, 7836)
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting