Abstract
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 Bo. 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 Bo. Even though the large‐scale SAW has no parallel electric field E∥, the E∥ of the ES wave fields 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 suggest that the mechanism of CFI for plasma acceleration/heating powered by LS‐SAWs is distinctly possible on auroral field lines.
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