Steady-State Structure and Low-Frequency Oscillations of an Infinitely Long E Layer

Abstract

The time-independent self-consistent equilibrium structure of an infinitely long E layer of finite thickness is investigated by expanding the current density and the magnetic field in powers of the ratio of the layer thickness to its radius. Time-dependent perturbations of the equilibrium solution are studied via the linearized Vlasov equation and a dispersion relation for frequencies well below the cyclotron frequency of the electrons in the total magnetic field is obtained. For perturbations of the form ∼ei(θ−ωt), two roots of this dispersion relation exist. One of these is equal to the experimentally observed precession frequency of the E layer.