Effect of a parallel electric field on the whistler mode instability in the magnetosphere

Abstract

A dispersion relation for the whistler mode wave propagation in an anisotropic warm magnetoplasma in the presence of a weak parallel electrostatic field has been derived from linearized coupled Boltzmann‐Maxwell equations with collision frequency independent of particle velocity. An expression for the growth rate has been derived in the presence of an electric field and for small temperature anisotropy (A<1) for the whistler mode wave. Under suitable approximation we recover the earlier known results. The modifications introduced in the growth rate by the electric field and temperature anisotropy have been discussed using observed plasma parameters at 6.6 RE. It is observed that growth (damping) of whistler mode waves is possible when the wave vector is parallel (antiparallel) to the static electric field. The effect of the electric field is more pronounced at low frequency (higher wave number) wave spectrum.