Properties of AKR‐Like Emissions Recorded by the Low Altitude Satellite DEMETER During 6.5 Years

Abstract

AbstractNormally, auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) which is emitted in the auroral zones escapes from the Earth. But since a few decades very similar radiations are observed by ground‐based receivers and by satellites at altitudes below the AKR generation area. They are called leaked AKR or AKR‐like emissions because it is expected that there are linked to AKR. This paper deals with observations of such AKR‐like emissions observed in the auroral zones (in the North and in the South) by the low‐altitude satellite DEMETER. In total, 2,526 events have been recorded during 6.5 years. These events are not very rare as they occur at least 2% of the time. Although this data set has a severe flaw due to a latitudinal constraint, it was possible to draw interesting properties of these emissions. In fact they are very similar to usual AKR observed at much higher altitudes during auroral activities (the same frequency range, magnetic local time (MLT) sector, and invariant latitude). The main difference concerns a strong asymmetry between the Northern and the Southern hemispheres: (a) the number of AKR‐like emissions in the Northern hemisphere is 32% larger than in the Southern hemisphere but this percentage decreases when the auroral activity increases, and (b) there is an important seasonal effect because the number of events decreases during the winter season both in the North and in the South.