Spatiotemporal variability and propagation of equatorial noise observed by Cluster

Abstract

We report a multipoint case study of the electromagnetic equatorial noise observed by the Cluster project. High‐resolution data were measured in three close points in space located in the morning sector of the outer plasmasphere. We demonstrate a narrow latitudinal extent of the emissions with a typical width of 2°, centered near the minimum‐B equator. Power spectra recorded by the different satellites show a complex structure of emission lines whose relative intensities and positions vary at timescales of 1–2 min and/or at spatial scales of tens of wavelengths. These lines do not match harmonics of the local proton cyclotron frequency, as it would be expected if the waves are generated by energetic ions and observed near the source region. We bring observational evidence that the waves propagate with a significant radial component and thus can propagate from a distant generation region located at different radial distances where ion cyclotron frequencies match the observed fine structure.