Abstract
We study Alfvén waves generated in the magnetosphere during the passage of an interplanetary shock wave. After shock wave passage, the oscillations with typical Alfvén wave dispersion have been detected in spacecraft observations inside the magnetosphere. The most frequently observed oscillations are those with toroidal polarization; their spatial structure is described well by the field line resonance (FLR) theory. The oscillations with poloidal polarization are observed after shock wave passage as well. They cannot be generated by FLR and cannot result from instability of high-energy particle fluxes because no such fluxes were detected at that time. We discuss an alternative hypothesis suggesting that resonant Alfvén waves are excited by a secondary source: a highly localized pulse of fast magnetosonic waves, which is generated in the shock wave/plasmapause contact region. The spectrum of such a source contains oscillation harmonics capable of exciting both the toroidal and poloidal resonant Alfvén waves.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.