Cyclotron Waves Research Articles

On the Energy Coupling From Magnetosonic Waves to High‐Frequency Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves: Statistical Analysis

AbstractIn the inner magnetosphere, fast magnetosonic waves (MS waves) are known to resonantly interact with ring current protons, causing these protons to gain energy preferentially in the direction perpendicular to the background magnetic field. An anisotropic distribution of enhanced ring current protons is a necessary condition to excite electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves which are known to facilitate a rapid depletion of ultra‐relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt. So, when a simultaneous observation of high‐frequency EMIC (HFEMIC) waves, anisotropic low‐energy protons, and MS waves was first reported, a chain of energy flow from MS waves to HFEMIC waves through proton heating was naturally proposed. In this study, we carry out a statistical analysis using Van Allen Probes data to provide deeper insights into this energy pathway. Our results show that the occurrence of HFEMIC waves exhibits good correlation with the enhanced flux and anisotropy of low‐energy protons, but the correlation between the low‐energy protons and the concurrent MS waves is rather poor. The latter result is given support by quasilinear diffusion analysis, indicating negligible momentum diffusion rates at sub‐keV energies, unless MS wave frequency gets very close to the proton cyclotron frequency (which constitutes only a small number of the cases). The fact that the first chain of the coupling is statistically inconclusive calls for an alternative explanation for the major source of the low‐energy anisotropic proton population in the inner magnetosphere.

Persistent Pitch Angle Anisotropies of Relativistic Electrons in the Outer Radiation Belts

AbstractPitch angle distributions (PADs) in the radiation belts are well characterized with sinn(α). By tracking the exponent “n,” termed pitch angle index, we are able to observe persistent and cross‐energy changes in PADs of Van Allen radiation belt electrons using Van Allen Probes particle observations. The PAD measurements are well fit down to a single satellite spin, and therefore can track spatially and temporally confined changes to determine the connection between particles and waves. With this method, we study long‐lasting and high‐energy anisotropic electron PADs during a quiet period over 2 days, 26 and 27 June 2013. One potential driver for these changes is electromagnetic ion cyclotron wave interaction with the particles. We use several ground magnetometer stations from Canadian Array for Realtime Investigations of Magnetic Activity and Finnish pulsation magnetometer network of Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory to observe waves during the 2 days of interest. The connection between the waves and particles is inconclusive, although there is some temporal overlap of the phenomenon.

Differentiating Between Simultaneous Loss Drivers in Earth's Outer Radiation Belt: Multi‐Dimensional Phase Space Density Analysis

AbstractWe analyzed the contribution of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) wave driven electron loss to a flux dropout event in September 2017. The evolution of electron phase space density (PSD) through the dropout showed the formation of a radially peaked PSD profile as electrons were lost at high L*, resembling distributions created by magnetopause shadowing. By comparing 2D Fokker Planck simulations of pitch angle diffusion to the observed change in PSD, we found that the μ and K of electron loss aligned with maximum scattering rates at dropout onset. We conclude that, during this dropout event, EMIC waves produced substantial electron loss. Because pitch angle diffusion occurred on closed drift paths near the last closed drift shell, no radial PSD minimum was observed. Therefore, the radial PSD gradients resembled solely magnetopause shadowing loss, even though the local pitch angle scattering produced electron losses of several orders of magnitude of the PSD.

Instability of Ion Cyclotron Waves (ICWS) at the Expense of Lower Hybrid Drift Waves (LHDWS) Turbulence Energy

Instability of ion cyclotron waves(ICWs) is investigated in presence of lower hybrid drift waves(LHDWs) turbulence. Plasma inhomogeneity in the Earth’s magnetopause region supports a range of low frequency drift wave turbulent fields due to gradients in density in different regions of the media. One of these drift phenomena is identified as lower hybrid drift waves (LHDWs) which satisfies resonant conditions ω − k · v = 0. We have considered a nonlinear wave-particle interaction model where the resonant wave that accelerates the particle in magnetopause may transfer its energy to ion cyclotron waves through a modulated field. In spite of the frequency gaps between the two waves, energy can be transferred nonlinearly to generate unstable ion cyclotron waves which always do not satisfy the resonant condition Ω−K · v ≠ 0 and the nonlinear scattering condition Ω − ω − (K − k) · v ̸= 0. Here, ω and Ω are frequencies of the resonant and the nonresonant waves respectively and k and K are the corresponding wave numbers. We have obtained a nonlinear dispersion relation for ion cyclotron waves(ICWs) in presence of lower hybrid drift waves(LHDWs)turbulence. The growth rate of the ion cyclotron waves using space observational data in the magnetopause region has been estimated.

ICE modes with high wave numbers

This work deals with high-k modes of the ion cyclotron emission (ICE)—the modes with frequencies close to ion cyclotron harmonics and wave numbers well exceeding those of fast magnetoacoustic modes (FMM). These modes exist due to finite Larmor radius of the ions. They are responsible for the ICE recently observed in the DIII-D tokamak [N. A. Crocker et al., Nucl. Fusion 62, 026023 (2022)]. The work is aimed at knowing the radial structure of high-k eigenmodes. Its analysis is relied on a comprehensive study carried out by employing a general dispersion equation for traveling waves, which allowed to group modes and determine conditions of their existence. Differential equations for various eigenmodes (standing waves) were obtained and analyzed. In particular, electrostatic modes and electromagnetic modes with various ratios of the longitudinal phase velocity to the electron thermal velocity were considered. A numerical code solving these equations was developed. It is found that high-k modes with sufficiently large poloidal mode numbers are located at the plasma periphery, and their amplitudes in the plasma core are very small. It is concluded that high-k modes are not an exceptional case, although presumably FMMs can explain most ICE experiments. They exist in plasmas with various magnitudes of β, representing different wave branches associated with finite Larmor radius of the ions. The mentioned experiment on DIII-D is discussed.

Dispersed Relativistic Electron Precipitation Patterns Between the Ion and Electron Isotropy Boundaries

AbstractRelativistic electron precipitation to the Earth's atmosphere is an important loss mechanism of inner magnetosphere electrons, contributing significantly to the dynamics of the radiation belts. Such precipitation may be driven by electron resonant scattering by middle‐latitude whistler‐mode waves at dawn to noon; by electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves at dusk; or by curvature scattering at the isotropy boundary (at the inner edge of the electron plasma sheet anywhere on the nightside, from dusk to dawn). Using low‐altitude ELFIN and near‐equatorial THEMIS measurements, we report on a new type of relativistic electron precipitation that shares some properties with the traditional curvature scattering mechanism (occurring on the nightside and often having a clear energy/L‐shell dispersion). However, it is less common than the typical electron isotropy boundary and it is observed most often during substorms. It is seen equatorward of (and well separated from) the electron isotropy boundary and around or poleward of the ion isotropy boundary (the inner edge of the ion plasma sheet). It may be due to one or more of the following mechanisms: EMIC waves in the presence of a specific radial profile of the cold plasma density; a regional suppression of the magnetic field enhancing curvature scattering locally; and/or electron resonant scattering by kinetic Alfvén waves.

Comparison of Ring Current Proton Losses Between Contributions From Scattering by Field Line Curvature and EMIC Waves

AbstractAlthough both the field line curvature (FLC) and electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are recognized to contribute importantly to the loss of energetic protons in the Earth's ring current, their quantitative differences in scattering ring current protons are still not fully understood. In this study, using a realistic, nondipolar magnetic field model, we perform a detailed analysis of the scattering effects of ring current protons and the resultant proton lifetimes due to FLC and EMIC waves at different L‐shells under different levels of geomagnetic activity. We find that compared with EMIC wave‐driven scattering, FLC scattering has a stronger dependence on L‐shell and geomagnetic activity. Pitch angle scattering efficiency due to FLC enhances significantly as proton energy increases. In contrast, scattering by H+ band EMIC waves tends to be weaker with increasing proton energy, while the scattering rates by He+ band EMIC waves increase first and then decrease. The results of proton lifetime against pitch angle scattering show that EMIC wave‐driven scattering dominates the loss of ring current protons at lower L‐shells (L < 6), especially during geomagnetically quiet conditions. During geomagnetically active conditions at L ≥ 6, EMIC wave‐driven scattering dominates at lower proton energies, while FLC scattering dominates at higher proton energies. This study improves the current understanding of the relative contributions of scattering by FLC and EMIC waves to the Earth's ring current proton dynamics.

Observation of Non‐Resonance Interactions Between Cold Protons and EMIC Waves of Different Polarizations in the Inner Magnetosphere

AbstractUsing the high‐quality measurements of plasma by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft, we investigate the wave‐particle interaction between cold protons and Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves of different polarizations in the inner magnetosphere. Both the left‐hand and right‐hand polarized EMIC waves can interact with cold protons via non‐resonance interaction, and energize the cold protons (∼eV) up to suprathermal energies (∼tens of eV), resulting in a series of bridge‐like arcs in the ion energy spectrogram. Cold protons experience different types of phase bunching in left‐hand and right‐hand polarized EMIC waves. However, the relative angles between the velocities of bunched protons and wave magnetic or electric fields are independent of the polarizations of EMIC waves. Thus, the energy transfer process is not affected by the polarization of EMIC waves. The observations indicate that EMIC waves can affect the magnetospheric particle dynamics by energizing the cold protons.

Generation of energetic electrons by an electron cyclotron wave through stochastic heating in a spherical tokamak

This study presents novel findings on stochastic electron heating via a random electron cyclotron wave (ECW) in a spherical tokamak. Hard x ray measurements demonstrate the time evolution of hard x ray counts at different energy bands, consistent with predictions from the stochastic heating model. The ECW heating rate shows a positive correlation with applied power, confirming the effectiveness of stochastic heating. Remarkably, the ECW-driven plasma current remains insensitive to ECW incidence angle, consistent with model predictions. The observed stochastic heating of electrons offers potential for exploring innovative non-inductive current drive modes in spherical tokamaks. This research contributes to the understanding of plasma behaviour and motivates the development of new models for non-inductive current drive in fusion devices.

Electron Precipitation Observed by ELFIN Using Proton Precipitation as a Proxy for Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) Waves

AbstractElectromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves can drive radiation belt depletion and Low‐Earth Orbit satellites can detect the resulting electron and proton precipitation. The ELFIN (Electron Losses and Fields InvestigatioN) CubeSats provide an excellent opportunity to study the properties of EMIC‐driven electron precipitation with much higher energy and pitch‐angle resolution than previously allowed. We collect EMIC‐driven electron precipitation events from ELFIN observations and use POES (Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites) to search for 10s–100s keV proton precipitation nearby as a proxy of EMIC wave activity. Electron precipitation mainly occurs on localized radial scales (∼0.3 L), over 15–24 MLT and 5–8 L shells, stronger at ∼MeV energies and weaker down to ∼100–200 keV. Additionally, the observed loss cone pitch‐angle distribution agrees with quasilinear predictions at ≳250 keV (more filled loss cone with increasing energy), while additional mechanisms are needed to explain the observed low‐energy precipitation.

Distinguishing Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) Waves From Other Pc1 Signatures in Satellite Recordings by Means of the Swarm Satellite Constellation

AbstractIn this study we make use of the closely spaced Swarm A and C spacecraft to determine the main wave parameters of micro‐pulsation in the Pc1 range. Generally, the interpretation of wave events in satellite recordings suffers from the spatial/temporal ambiguity of such data. To resolve that problem, we use for the first time in the 0.2–5 Hz apparent frequency range high‐resolution magnetic field data from the Swarm A/C spacecraft pair. Particularly suitable for this analysis is the period of Counter Rotating Orbit Phase in 2021. During that period the along‐track distance between the spacecraft was varied from 2 to 40 s. Surprisingly many of the wavy signals at middle latitudes were identified as small‐scale (order of 10s km) quasi‐static field‐aligned current (FAC) structures. Some of the events turned out to be medium‐scale (100–200 km) waves oscillating at 1 Hz or less. A number of published electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves were checked on their consistency. One characteristic is their long wavelength (∼1,000 km). About half of the cases passed the check, the other did not satisfy the spatial homogeneity. The small‐scale FAC structures we believe to be driven by atmospheric gravity waves. While the medium‐scale waves we prefer to relate to the effects of the ionospheric Alfvén resonator.

On the Dynamics of Ultrarelativistic Electrons (>2 MeV) Near L* = 3.5 During 8 June 2015

AbstractUnderstanding local loss processes in Earth’s radiation belts is critical to understanding their overall structure. Electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves can cause rapid loss of multi‐MeV electrons in the radiation belts. These loss effects have been observed at a range of L* values, recently as low as L* = 3.5. Here, we present a case study of an event where a local minimum develops in multi‐MeV electron phase space density (PSD) near L* = 3.5 and evaluate the possibility of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves in contributing to the observed loss feature. Signatures of EMIC waves are shown including rapid local loss and pitch angle bite outs. Analysis of the wave power spectral density during the event shows EMIC wave occurrence at higher L* values. Using representative wave parameters, we calculate minimum resonant energies, diffusion coefficients, and simulate the evolution of electron PSD during this event. From these results, we find that O+ band EMIC waves could be contributing to the local loss feature during this event. O+ band EMIC waves are uncommon, but do occur in these L* ranges, and therefore may be a significant driver of radiation belt dynamics under certain preconditioning of the radiation belts.

Potential impacts of hydrogen band EMIC waves on the ion velocity distributions: MMS observations

In this paper, the influence of the hydrogen (H+) band electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves on the hydrogen and helium velocity distributions has been studied. The hydrogen band EMIC waves have been investigated in the inner magnetosphere using the magnetospheric multiscale mission. The EMIC waves for the frequency range typical frequency have been frequently observed in the Earth's magnetosphere and have received considerable attention for energy transport across the magnetosphere. In this manuscript, we studied the velocity distribution of cold/hot proton and helium ions at different times of the event under consideration. For cold (1–600 eV) hydrogen ions, the velocity distribution is directly proportional to the growth rate of the EMIC wave, whereas the hot (1–40 keV) hydrogen ions have a ring distribution, which are not strongly influenced by the growth of EMIC waves like cold hydrogen ions, but the helium (1 eV–40 keV) ions are rarely influenced by EMIC waves.

MMS Observations of Warm‐Ion (E < 100 eV) Heating Inside Plasmaspheric Plumes

AbstractNear‐Earth plasma surges sunward during enhanced magnetospheric convection (driven by dayside magnetic reconnection) to form a pathway feature called a plasmaspheric plume. This study uses Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) observations to investigate the heating of warm ions (H+ and He+) inside plumes. We identify 287 plume events using targeted in‐situ‐observational criteria and plasmapause test particle simulations. One plume‐crossing event by MMS shows that the scalar temperatures of warm He+ increase from ∼10 to ∼40 eV during simultaneous observations of helium‐band electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves, while H+ temperature is almost constant. Next, we analyze all individual observations to investigate warm‐ion heating and its possible association with EMIC waves. The statistical results show that EMIC waves associated with the plume have left‐hand polarizations and small normal angles and the temperatures of warm He+ are always higher than those of warm H+. Also, the minimum resonant energies for H+ are mostly above 100 eV, whereas 17% of warm He+ observations show that they can interact with the H+‐band EMIC waves via cyclotron resonance. These observations suggest that while EMIC waves play a role, there is an unknown mechanism for warm‐ion heating inside the plume that requires more investigation.

Observation of Alfvén Ion Cyclotron Waves in ICME Magnetic Clouds at 1 au

Waves in plasma play an essential role in the energy transfer and plasma-heating processes. This article discusses the in situ observation of Alfvén ion cyclotron (AIC) waves and their characteristics within interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) flux ropes. We analyzed 401 ICME flux ropes, observed by WIND spacecraft from 1995 to 2021 at 1 au. We found only five ICME flux ropes that show an explicit presence of AIC waves; two have normalized magnetic helicity σ m ≤ −0.5, and the remaining three show σ m ≥ 0.5 polarization. The angle between velocity and magnetic field (θ VB) for σ m ≤ −0.5 is <40°, whereas for σ m ≥ 0.5, θ VB > 140°. This result supports the existence of quasi-parallel and quasi-antiparallel left-handed polarized AIC waves within ICME flux ropes. We suggest that AIC waves are possibly triggered by (i) proton temperature anisotropy Tp ⊥/Tp ∥ > 1 driven by cyclotron instability and (ii) low-frequency Alfvén waves through the magnetohydrodynamic turbulent cascade. This study shows evidence of fluid and kinetic scales coupling in the ICME flux rope.

Full-wave modeling of EMIC wave packets: ducted propagation and reflected waves

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves can scatter radiation belt electrons with energies of a few hundred keV and higher. To accurately predict this scattering and the resulting precipitation of these relativistic electrons on short time scales, we need detailed knowledge of the wave field’s spatio-temporal evolution, which cannot be obtained from single spacecraft measurements. Our study presents EMIC wave models obtained from two-dimensional (2D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations in the Earth’s dipole magnetic field. We study cases of hydrogen band and helium band wave propagation, rising-tone emissions, packets with amplitude modulations, and ducted waves. We analyze the wave propagation properties in the time domain, enabling comparison with in situ observations. We show that cold plasma density gradients can keep the wave vector quasiparallel, guide the wave energy efficiently, and have a profound effect on mode conversion and reflections. The wave normal angle of unducted waves increases rapidly with latitude, resulting in reflection on the ion hybrid frequency, which prohibits propagation to low altitudes. The modeled wave fields can serve as an input for test-particle analysis of scattering and precipitation of relativistic electrons and energetic ions.

CuFeO2 prepared by electron cyclotron wave resonance-assisted reactive HiPIMS with two magnetrons and radio frequency magnetron sputtering

In this study, thin films of CuFeO2 were prepared using radio frequency reactive sputtering (RF) and reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering combined with electron cyclotron wave resonance plasma (HiPIMS-ECWR). The plasma was characterized using an RF ion probe. Plasma density, tail electron energy, and electron temperature were extracted from the measured data. The films were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated glass and quartz glass, with the substrates being heated during the deposition process. The final delafossite CuFeO2 structure was formed after annealing in an argon gas flow at 550–600 °C. The ideal deposition conditions were found to be with a stoichiometric ratio of Cu:Fe = 1:1, which was the optimal condition for creating the delafossite CuFeO2 structure. The measured optical bandgap of CuFeO2 was 1.4 eV. The deposited CuFeO2 films were subjected to photoelectrochemical measurements in the cathodic region to investigate their potential application in solar photocatalytic water splitting. The films showed photocatalytic activity, with a photocurrent density of around 70 μA/cm2 (under an incident light irradiation of 62 mW/cm2, AM 1.5 G). The electrochemical properties of the layers were studied using open circuit potential, linear voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. The surface morphology and chemical composition of the layers were analyzed by atomic force microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, respectively. The crystalline structure was determined using XRD and Raman spectroscopy. The results of these methods are presented and discussed in this article.

Interaction of Inner Heliosheath Ions with Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves

Inner heliosheath (IHS) ions are expected to be exposed to various waves, shocks, and turbulence, which can affect ion distributions and thus their charge-exchange rates with interstellar neutral atoms. This work addresses the potential significance of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves under expected IHS conditions. From a kinetic dispersion relation, we find the possibility of frequent triggering of EMIC instability in the IHS. The threshold anisotropy of proton temperatures required for the instability is small, (T ⊥–T ∣∣)/T ∣∣ ≈ 0.1 or less, mainly due to high plasma β (ratio of the plasma to magnetic pressures). Numerical calculations on the scattering of ions (protons, He+, and He2+ with energy of 0.01–50 keV) based on two models for EMIC waves with a moderate intensity indicate significant scattering in the pitch angle (mostly a few tens of degrees) and energy (mostly a few tens of percent) although details depend on the energy and pitch angle of each species and adopted EMIC wave models. This occurs on a short timescale (<100 times the gyro-period of each ion species). Resonant scattering in a few to a few tens of keV (corresponding to the expected pickup ion energy in the IHS) is easily expected unless the wavenumber is too large. The scattering effect is distinguished among different species such that for lower gyrofrequency ions (He+ versus He2+and He2+ versus protons), the main scattering effect moves toward a lower energy domain. All these results imply continuous disturbance of ion distributions by possibly prevailing EMIC waves in the IHS.

Enhanced Radiation Levels at Aviation Altitudes and Their Relationship to Plasma Waves in the Inner Magnetosphere

AbstractIt is believed that galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles are the two major sources of ionizing radiation. However, the radiation source may also be due to relativistic electrons that are associated with precipitation from the Van Allen radiation belts. In this study, we use Automated Radiation Measurements for Aerospace Safety (ARMAS) measurements to investigate the precipitation mechanism of energetic radiation belt electrons. ARMAS instruments are flown on agency‐sponsored (NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation, Federal Aviation Administration, DOE) flights, commercial space transportation companies and airliners (&gt;9 km) in automated radiation collection mode. We identified magnetic conjunction events between ARMAS and NASA's Van Allen Probes to study the highly variable, dynamic mesoscale radiation events observed by ARMAS instruments at aviation altitudes and their relationship to various plasma waves in the inner magnetosphere measured by the Van Allen Probes. The results show that there is a strong correlation between dose rates observed by ARMAS and plasmaspheric hiss wave power measured by the Van Allen Probes, but no such relationship with electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves and only a modest correlation with whistler mode chorus waves. These results suggest that the space environment could have a potentially significant effect on passenger safety.

Observations of Ion Cyclotron Waves in the Upstream of Mars

Ion cyclotron waves (ICWs) are one kind of plasma waves whose frequency is close to the ion cyclotron frequency. They exist widely in the upstream of Mars, and the frequency observed by satellites is generally near the proton cyclotron frequency. ICWs are byproducts in the production processes of pick-up ions. The occurrence of ICWs constitutes, in principle, an indirect signature of the presence of newborn planetary protons. ICWs in the upstream of Mars have received much attention since they were first reported in 1990. In this review, we summarize the research progress of ICWs in the upstream of Mars, including the observation of ICWs, the wave generation mechanism, their statistical properties, and related future research trends.