Fast Magnetosonic Shock Research Articles

PIC simulation of a nonoscillatory perturbation on a subcritical fast magnetosonic shock wave

Abstract We use a two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation to study the propagation of subcritical fast magnetosonic shocks in electron-nitrogen plasma and their stability against an initial deformation. A slab of dense plasma launches two planar blast waves into a surrounding ambient plasma, which is permeated by a magnetic field that points out of the simulation box and is spatially uniform at the start of the simulation. One shock propagates into a spatially uniform ambient plasma. This reference shock has a Mach number of 1.75, and the heating of ions only along the shock normal compresses the ions that cross the shock to twice the upstream density. Drift instabilities lead to rapidly growing electron-cyclotron harmonic waves ahead of the location where the shock's density overshoot peaks, and to slowly growing lower-hybrid waves with a longer wavelength behind it. The second shock wave enters a perturbation layer that deforms it into a sine shape. Once the shock leaves the perturbation layer, the deformation is weakly damped and non-oscillatory, and the shock remains stable. Even without an external perturbation, and for the plasma parameters considered here, drift instabilities will cause ripples in the shock wave. These instabilities lead to a spatially and temporally varying compression of the plasma that crosses the shock.

Stability of perpendicular magnetohydrodynamic shocks in materials with ideal and nonideal equationsof state.

Magnetized target fusion approach to inertial confinement fusion involves the formation of strong shocks that travel along a magnetized plasma. Shocks, which play a dominant role in thermalizing the upstream kinetic energy generated in the implosion stage, are seldom free from perturbations, and they wrinkle in response to upstream or downstream disturbances. In Z-pinch experiments, significant plasma instability mitigation was observed with pre-embedded axial magnetic fields. To isolate effects, in this work we theoretically study the impact of perpendicular magnetic fields on the planar shock dynamics for different equationsof state. For fast magnetosonic shocks in ideal gases, it was found that the magnetic field amplifies the intensity of the perturbations when γ>2 or it weakens them when γ<2. Weak shocks have been found to be stable regardless of the magnetic plasma intensity and gas compressibility; however, for sufficiently strong shocks the magnetic fields can promote a neutral stability/SAE at the shock if the adiabatic index is higher than 1+sqrt[2]. Results have been validated with numerical simulations performed with the FLASH code.

PIC simulations of stable surface waves on a subcritical fast magnetosonic shock front

We study with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations the stability of fast magnetosonic shocks. They expand across a collisionless plasma and an orthogonal magnetic field that is aligned with one of the directions resolved by the 2D simulations. The shock speed is 1.6 times the fast magnetosonic speed when it enters a layer with a reduced density of mobile ions, which decreases the shock speed by up to 15% in 1D simulations. In the 2D simulations, the density of mobile ions in the layer varies sinusoidally perpendicularly to the shock normal. We resolve one sine period. This variation only leads to small changes in the shock speed evidencing a restoring force that opposes a shock deformation. As the shock propagates through the layer, the ion density becomes increasingly spatially modulated along the shock front and the magnetic field bulges out where the mobile ion density is lowest. The perturbed shock eventually reaches a steady state. Once it leaves the layer, the perturbations of the ion density and magnetic field oscillate along its front at a frequency close to the lower-hybrid frequency; the shock is mediated by a standing wave composed of obliquely propagating lower-hybrid waves. We perform three 2D simulations with different box lengths along the shock front. The shock front oscillations are aperiodically damped in the smallest box with the fastest variation of the ion density, strongly damped in the intermediate one, and weakly damped in the largest box. The shock front oscillations perturb the magnetic field in a spatial interval that extends by several electron skin depths upstream and downstream of the shock front and could give rise to Whistler waves that propagate along the shock’s magnetic field overshoot. Similar waves were observed in hybrid and PIC simulations and by the MMS satellite mission.

Experimental observations of detached bow shock formation in the interaction of a laser-produced plasma with a magnetized obstacle

The magnetic field produced by planets with active dynamos, like the Earth, can exert sufficient pressure to oppose supersonic stellar wind plasmas, leading to the formation of a standing bow shock upstream of the magnetopause, or pressure-balance surface. Scaled laboratory experiments studying the interaction of an inflowing solar wind analog with a strong, external magnetic field are a promising new way to study magnetospheric physics and to complement existing models, although reaching regimes favorable for magnetized shock formation is experimentally challenging. This paper presents experimental evidence of the formation of a magnetized bow shock in the interaction of a supersonic, super-Alfvénic plasma with a strongly magnetized obstacle at the OMEGA laser facility. The solar wind analog is generated by the collision and subsequent expansion of two counter-propagating, laser-driven plasma plumes. The magnetized obstacle is a thin wire, driven with strong electrical currents. Hydrodynamic simulations using the FLASH code predict that the colliding plasma source meets the criteria for bow shock formation. Spatially resolved, optical Thomson scattering measures the electron number density, and optical emission lines provide a measurement of the plasma temperature, from which we infer the presence of a fast magnetosonic shock far upstream of the obstacle. Proton images provide a measure of large-scale features in the magnetic field topology, and reconstructed path-integrated magnetic field maps from these images suggest the formation of a bow shock upstream of the wire and as a transient magnetopause. We compare features in the reconstructed fields to two-dimensional MHD simulations of the system.

Comment on “Non-interacting coronal mass ejections and solar energetic particles near the quadrature configuration of solar terrestrial relations observatory”: CME shocks are fast magnetosonic shocks and not intermediate Alfvén shocks

Aims.The expression for the shock Mach number used by Ravishankar and Michalek (2020, A&amp;A, 638, A42) is incorrect. We wish to provide a correct expression so they can redo their analyses.Methods.Coronal mass ejection (CME) shocks are fast magnetosonic shocks and not intermediate Alfvén shocks. We give the steps for calculating the shock normal, shock velocity, and, thus, the shock Mach number. We also mention that the shock properties, such as being quasi-perpendicular or quasi-parallel, are another important parameter for the shock acceleration of energetic particles.Results.We have corrected the errors existing in the Astronomy and Astrophysics literature concerning the mathematical expression for the Mach number for a CME shock. Hopefully, future authors will use the now-correct expression for the Mach number.Conclusions.The correct shock Mach number expression has been given to Ravishankar and Michalek. It is hoped that they will redo their calculations (including using other shock properties) to see if their 2020 conclusions still hold true or not.

A multishock model for the density variance of anisotropic, highly magnetized, supersonic turbulence

ABSTRACT Shocks form the basis of our understanding for the density and velocity statistics of supersonic turbulent flows, such as those found in the cool interstellar medium (ISM). The variance of the density field, $\sigma ^2_{\rho /\rho _0}$, is of particular interest for molecular clouds (MCs), the birthplaces of stars in the Universe. The density variance may be used to infer underlying physical processes in an MC, and parametrizes the star formation (SF) rate of a cloud. However, models for $\sigma ^2_{\rho /\rho _0}$ all share a common feature – the variance is assumed to be isotropic. This assumption does not hold when a trans-/sub-Alfvénic mean magnetic field, ${B}_0$, is present in the cloud, which observations suggest is relevant for some MCs. We develop an anisotropic model for $\sigma _{\rho /\rho _0}^2$, using contributions from hydrodynamical and fast magnetosonic shocks that propagate orthogonal to each other. Our model predicts an upper bound for $\sigma _{\rho /\rho _0}^2$ in the high Mach number $(\mathcal {M})$ limit as small-scale density fluctuations become suppressed by the strong ${B}_0$. The model reduces to the isotropic $\sigma _{\rho /\rho _0}^2\!-\!\mathcal {M}$ relation in the hydrodynamical limit. To validate our model, we calculate $\sigma _{\rho /\rho _0}^2$ from 12 high-resolution, three-dimensional, supersonic, sub-Alfvénic magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) turbulence simulations and find good agreement with our theory. We discuss how the two MHD shocks may be the bimodally oriented overdensities observed in some MCs and the implications for SF theory in the presence of a sub-Alfvénic ${B}_0$. By creating an anisotropic, supersonic density fluctuation model, this study paves the way for SF theory in the highly anisotropic regime of interstellar turbulence.

Direct Multipoint Observations Capturing the Reformation of a Supercritical Fast Magnetosonic Shock

Abstract Using multipoint Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) observations in an unusual string-of-pearls configuration, we examine in detail observations of the reformation of a fast magnetosonic shock observed on the upstream edge of a foreshock transient structure upstream of Earth's bow shock. The four MMS spacecraft were separated by several hundred kilometers, comparable to suprathermal ion gyroradius scales or several ion inertial lengths. At least half of the shock reformation cycle was observed, with a new shock ramp rising up out of the “foot” region of the original shock ramp. Using the multipoint observations, we convert the observed time-series data into distance along the shock normal in the shock's rest frame. That conversion allows for a unique study of the relative spatial scales of the shock's various features, including the shock's growth rate, and how they evolve during the reformation cycle. Analysis indicates that the growth rate increases during reformation, electron-scale physics play an important role in the shock reformation, and energy conversion processes also undergo the same cyclical periodicity as reformation. Strong, thin electron-kinetic-scale current sheets and large-amplitude electrostatic and electromagnetic waves are reported. Results highlight the critical cross-scale coupling between electron-kinetic- and ion-kinetic-scale processes and details of the nature of nonstationarity, shock-front reformation at collisionless, fast magnetosonic shocks.

Research progress on coronal extreme ultraviolet waves

<p indent="0mm">The hot, tenuous coronal plasma medium can support the propagation of various kinds of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves, such as Alfvén waves, fast and slow magnetosonic waves. These MHD waves are important for understanding the enigmatic problems of coronal heating and the acceleration of solar winds, as well as the basic physical property of the solar atmosphere and the physics behind solar eruptions. In this review, we mainly introduce two types of fast-propagating extreme ultraviolet (EUV) magnetosonic waves in the corona, namely, the large-scale (global) EUV waves and the quasi-periodic fast-propagating (QFP) magnetosonic waves. EUV waves are large-scale propagating disturbances in the corona; they are intimately related to violent solar eruptions such as flares, coronal mass ejections (CME), and radio type II bursts. In history, large-scale propagating disturbances were firstly discovered in the chromosphere in 1960s, and they were called Moreton waves. In theory, the dense chromosphere can not support the fast propagating of Moreton waves. Therefore solar physicists explained Moreton waves as the chromosphere responses of fast magnetosonic or shock waves in the corona, although people did not detected corona waves in that era due to the lack of coronal observations. Until the 1990s, the long-expected similar large-scale fast-propagating coronal disturbances called EUV waves were observed by the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) onboard the Solar and Heliosphereic Observatory (SOHO). EUV waves were initially thought to be fast mode magnetosonic waves driven by flare pressure pulses, and can be regarded as the coronal counterparts of Moreton waves. However, latter observations raised questions about their driving mechanism and physical nature. For their driving source it was unclear that EUV waves are driven by flare pressure pulses or CMEs. For their physical nature it was unclear that EUV waves are true MHD waves or apparent motions caused by reconfiguration of large-scale coronal magnetic fields or other mechanisms. Thanks to the high spatiotemporal resolution and multi-angle observations provided by the Solar Terrestrial Relations observatory (STEREO) and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in recent years, we have achieved a deeper and complete understanding about the generation and physical properties of EUV waves. A common consensus reached in recent years is that at least two types of EUV waves can be detected during the eruption of a CME. One is a fast mode magnetosonic wave or shock at a speed ranged from several hundred to more than one thousand km/s, which corresponds to the coronal counterpart of a chromosphere Moreton wave; the other one whose physical nature is unclear, propagates following the fast one with a low speed generally below 500 km/s. For the driving sources of EUV waves, the majority of high resolution observations showed that they are driven by the lateral expansion of CMEs, and a few studies suggested that they can also be excited by other mechanisms such as flare pressure pulses, sudden loop expansion caused by ambient solar eruptions, coronal jets, and expanding motions of unwinding helical structure of filaments. The high spatiotemporal resolution observations taken by the SDO discovered a new type of fast mode waves called QFP waves, which have multiple wavefronts and generally propagate along magnetic field lines with a speed in the range of several hundred to more than 2000 km/s, and their periods are often similar to the quasi-periodic pulsations in the associate flares. Here we present a summary of the recent research progress about the two types of EUV waves in the corona, and try to point out the key and difficult issues, as well as the possible research topics in the future.

Collisionless tangential discontinuity between pair plasma and electron–proton plasma

We study with a one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation the expansion of a pair cloud into a magnetized electron–proton plasma as well as the formation and subsequent propagation of a tangential discontinuity that separates both plasmas. Its propagation speed takes the value that balances the magnetic pressure of the discontinuity against the thermal pressure of the pair cloud and the ram pressure of the protons. Protons are accelerated by the discontinuity to a speed that exceeds the fast magnetosonic speed by the factor of 10. A supercritical fast magnetosonic shock forms at the front of this beam. An increasing proton temperature downstream of the shock and ahead of the discontinuity leaves the latter intact. We create the discontinuity by injecting a pair cloud at a simulation boundary into a uniform electron–proton plasma, which is permeated by a perpendicular magnetic field. Collisionless tangential discontinuities in the relativistic pair jets of x-ray binaries (microquasars) are in permanent contact with the relativistic leptons of their inner cocoon, and they become the sources of radio synchrotron emissions.

Foreshock Bubbles at Venus: Hybrid Simulations and VEX Observations

AbstractIn the absence of a global magnetic field at Venus, its ionosphere is the obstacle to the flow of the solar wind resulting in the formation of a smaller bow shock and foreshock. Spacecraft observations and global hybrid (kinetic ions, fluid electrons) simulations have demonstrated that despite its smaller size, the foreshock at Venus has properties similar to those seen at its much larger terrestrial counterpart. This study employs global hybrid simulations and Venus Express observations to demonstrate the formation of foreshock bubbles (FBs) at Venus and examine their impacts on the Venusian ionosphere. Discovered at Earth, FBs form in response to backstreaming ion beams in the foreshock interacting with solar wind rotational or tangential discontinuities. They exhibit a hot, tenuous, and low magnetic field core bounded by a fast magnetosonic shock wave and the associated plasma sheath. Their sizes scale with the width of the foreshock and they are carried by the solar wind toward the bow shock. The results of the hybrid simulations show that despite the smaller size of the Venusian foreshock, FBs should form at this planet. A preliminary examination of the Venus Express data has shown the presence of a number of FB candidates, one of which is discussed here. Using the results of hybrid simulations we examine the impacts of FBs on the ionosphere and demonstrate their global consequences which exceed those of hot flow anomalies also formed as a result of the interaction between solar wind discontinuities and the Venusian bow shock.

Failed self-reformation of a sub-critical fast magnetosonic shock in collisionless plasma

We study with a 1D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation the evolution of a subcritical perpendicular fast magnetosonic shock. The shock propagates at 1.5 times the fast magnetosonic speed. Some upstream protons are reflected by the shock’s electric potential. They form a beam which carries less energy than those that are reflected magnetically by super-critical shocks. The beam triggers the growth of a fast magnetosonic solitary wave upstream of the shock, which reflects the beam protons back to the shock. Extracting the momentum and energy of this beam allows the solitary wave to grow into a proto-shock that is trailed by a short downstream region. Protons from the shock-reflected proton beam increase the density of the plasma between the shock and the proto-shock reducing its potential difference relative to both surrounding structures. Bulk protons, which cross the proto-shock, react to the decreased potential jump. The plasma behind the proto-shock accelerates and so does the shock. The trailing end of the proto-shock speeds up in order to continue reflecting the beam protons and eventually it catches up with its front; the proto-shock collapses and the self-reformation fails. A more energetic proton beam could decrease the potential jump across the shock, let it collapse and replace it with the proto-shock.

Structure of a collisionless pair jet in a magnetized electron–proton plasma: flow-aligned magnetic field

Aims. We study the effect a guiding magnetic field has on the formation and structure of a pair jet that propagates through a collisionless electron–proton plasma at rest. Methods. We model with a particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation a pair cloud with a temperature of 400 keV and a mean speed of 0.9c (c - light speed). Pair particles are continuously injected at the boundary. The cloud propagates through a spatially uniform, magnetized, and cool ambient electron–proton plasma at rest. The mean velocity vector of the pair cloud is aligned with the uniform background magnetic field. The pair cloud has a lateral extent of a few ion skin depths. Results. A jet forms in time. Its outer cocoon consists of jet-accelerated ambient plasma and is separated from the inner cocoon by an electromagnetic piston with a thickness that is comparable to the local thermal gyroradius of jet particles. The inner cocoon consists of pair plasma, which lost its directed flow energy while it swept out the background magnetic field and compressed it into the electromagnetic piston. A beam of electrons and positrons moves along the jet spine at its initial speed. Its electrons are slowed down and some positrons are accelerated as they cross the head of the jet. The latter escape upstream along the magnetic field, which yields an excess of megaelectronvolt positrons ahead of the jet. A filamentation instability between positrons and protons accelerates some of the protons, which were located behind the electromagnetic piston at the time it formed, to megaelectronvolt energies. Conclusions. A microscopic pair jet in collisionless plasma has a structure that is similar to that predicted by a hydrodynamic model of relativistic astrophysical pair jets. It is a source of megaelectronvolt positrons. An electromagnetic piston acts as the contact discontinuity between the inner and outer cocoons. It would form on subsecond timescales in a plasma with a density that is comparable to that of the interstellar medium in the rest frame of the latter. A supercritical fast magnetosonic shock will form between the pristine ambient plasma and the jet-accelerated plasma on a timescale that exceeds our simulation time by an order of magnitude.

Quasi-perpendicular fast magnetosonic shock with wave precursor in collisionless plasma

A one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation tracks a fast magnetosonic shock over time scales comparable with an inverse ion gyrofrequency. The magnetic pressure is comparable to the thermal pressure upstream. The shock propagates across a uniform background magnetic field with a pressure that equals the thermal pressure upstream at the angle 85° at a speed that is 1.5 times the fast magnetosonic speed in the electromagnetic limit. Electrostatic contributions to the wave dispersion increase its phase speed at large wave numbers, which leads to a convex dispersion curve. A fast magnetosonic precursor forms ahead of the shock with a phase speed that exceeds the fast magnetosonic speed by about ∼30%. The wave is slower than the shock, and hence, it is damped.

Expansion of a radially symmetric blast shell into a uniformly magnetized plasma

The expansion of a thermal pressure-driven radial blast shell into a dilute ambient plasma is examined with two-dimensional PIC simulations. The purpose is to determine if laminar shocks form in a collisionless plasma which resemble their magnetohydrodynamic counterparts. The ambient plasma is composed of electrons with the temperature of 2 keV and cool fully ionized nitrogen ions. It is permeated by a spatially uniform magnetic field. A forward shock forms between the shocked ambient medium and the pristine ambient medium, which changes from an ion acoustic one through a slow magnetosonic one to a fast magnetosonic shock with increasing shock propagation angles relative to the magnetic field. The slow magnetosonic shock that propagates obliquely to the magnetic field changes into a tangential discontinuity for a perpendicular propagation direction, which is in line with the magnetohydrodynamic model. The expulsion of the magnetic field by the expanding blast shell triggers an electron-cyclotron drift instability.

Linear Analysis of Converging Richtmyer–Meshkov Instability in the Presence of an Azimuthal Magnetic Field

Abstract We investigate the linear stability of both positive and negative Atwood ratio interfaces accelerated either by a fast magnetosonic or hydrodynamic shock in cylindrical geometry. For the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) case, we examine the role of an initial seed azimuthal magnetic field on the growth rate of the perturbation. In the absence of a magnetic field, the Richtmyer–Meshkov growth is followed by an exponentially increasing growth associated with the Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI). In the MHD case, the growth rate of the instability reduces in proportion to the strength of the applied magnetic field. The suppression mechanism is associated with the interference of two waves running parallel and antiparallel to the interface that transport vorticity and cause the growth rate to oscillate in time with nearly a zero mean value.

Emergence of MHD structures in a collisionless PIC simulation plasma

The expansion of a dense plasma into a dilute plasma across an initially uniform perpendicular magnetic field is followed with a one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation over magnetohydrodynamics time scales. The dense plasma expands in the form of a fast rarefaction wave. The accelerated dilute plasma becomes separated from the dense plasma by a tangential discontinuity at its back. A fast magnetosonic shock with the Mach number 1.5 forms at its front. Our simulation demonstrates how wave dispersion widens the shock transition layer into a train of nonlinear fast magnetosonic waves.

Generation of parallel and quasi‐perpendicular EMIC waves and mirror waves by fast magnetosonic shocks in the solar wind

AbstractThis paper presents a simulation study on the generation of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and mirror waves associated with fast magnetosonic shocks in the solar wind or the bow shock ahead of the magnetosphere. Strong fast magnetosonic shocks are often observed in these regions. In the shock downstream region, hydrogen ions (H+) and helium ions (He++) are strongly heated to high ion beta and large temperature anisotropy. The helium ions have a bunch distribution in the perpendicular velocity phase space in the immediate downstream region. These conditions can lead to generation of strong EMIC waves and mirror waves, which are often identified in satellite observations. In the simulations with a background magnetic field being in the simulation plane, the dominant EMIC waves are left‐handed polarized and propagate parallel to the background field. The nearly perpendicular (~85°) EMIC waves of right‐handed polarization excited at large wave numbers (kVA1/ΩH1 ≈ 3) show weak but nonnegligible wave energy. The effect of minor helium ions on wave excitation is found to be small. Mirror waves grow to large amplitudes when both the downstream ion beta and temperature anisotropy are high. Various wave modes are identified by ω − k dispersion analysis. For the cases with a background magnetic field making a large angle with the simulation plane, the mirror waves dominate, and nonlinear coalescence of mirror waves is clearly observed downstream.

The Interaction of Successive Coronal Mass Ejections: A Review

We present a review of the different aspects associated with the interaction of successive CMEs in the corona and inner heliosphere, focusing on the initiation of series of CMEs, their interaction in the heliosphere, the particle acceleration associated with successive CMEs, and the effect of compound events on Earth's magnetosphere. The two main mechanisms resulting in the eruption of series of CMEs are sympathetic eruptions and homologous eruptions. The interaction of successive CMEs has been observed remotely in coronagraphs and heliospheric imagers, and inferred from in situ measurements. It is associated with magnetic reconnection, momentum exchange, the propagation of a fast magnetosonic shock through a magnetic ejecta and changes in CME expansion. The presence of a CME a few hours before a fast eruption is connected with higher fluxes of SEPs, while CME-CME interaction occurring in the corona is often associated with unusual radio bursts. Higher suprathermal population, enhanced turbulence and wave activity, stronger shocks, and shock-shock or shock-CME interaction have been proposed as physical mechanisms to explain these SEP events. When measured in situ, CME-CME interaction may be associated with relatively well organized multiple-magnetic cloud events, instances of shocks propagating through a previous magnetic ejecta or more complex ejecta. The compression of a CME by another and the propagation of a shock inside a magnetic ejecta can lead to extreme values of the southward magnetic field, sometimes associated with large values of the dynamic pressure. This can result in intense geomagnetic storms, but also trigger substorms and large earthward motions of the magnetopause, potentially associated with changes in the outer radiation belts. Future measurements by Solar Probe+ and Solar Orbiter may shed light on the evolution of CMEs as they interact.

Geometry of fast magnetosonic rays, wavefronts and shock waves

Fast magnetosonic waves in a two-dimensional plasma are studied in the geometrical optics approximation. The geometry of rays and wavefronts influences decisively the formation and ulterior evolution of shock waves. It is shown that the curvature of the curve where rays start and the angle between rays and wavefronts are the main parameters governing a wide variety of possible outcomes.

Generation of He+ and O+ EMIC waves by the bunch distribution of O+ ions associated with fast magnetosonic shocks in the magnetosphere

AbstractElectromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are often observed in the magnetosphere with frequency usually in the H+ and He+ cyclotron bands and sometimes in the O+ band. The temperature anisotropy, caused by injection of energetic ions or by compression of magnetosphere, can efficiently generate H+ EMIC waves, but not as efficient for He+ or O+ EMIC waves. Here we propose a new generation mechanism for He+ and O+ EMIC waves associated with weak fast magnetosonic shocks, which are observed in the magnetosphere. These shocks can be associated with either dynamic pressure enhancement or shocks in the solar wind and can lead to the formation of a “bunch” distribution in the perpendicular velocity plane of O+ ions. The O+ bunch distribution can excite strong He+ EMIC waves and weak O+ and H+ waves. The dominant He+ EMIC waves are strong in quasi‐perpendicular propagation and show harmonics in frequency spectrum of Fourier analysis. The proposed mechanism can explain the generation and some observed properties of He+ and O+ EMIC waves in the magnetosphere.