Magnetospheric Ultra-low-frequency Waves Research Articles

On the Role of ULF Waves in the Spatial and Temporal Periodicity of Energetic Electron Precipitation

AbstractEnergetic electron precipitation to the Earth's atmosphere is a key process controlling radiation belt dynamics and magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling. One of the main drivers of precipitation is electron resonant scattering by whistler‐mode waves. Low‐altitude observations of such precipitation often reveal quasi‐periodicity in the ultra‐low‐frequency (ULF) range associated with whistler‐mode waves, causally linked to ULF‐modulated equatorial electron flux and its anisotropy. Conjunctions between ground‐based instruments and equatorial spacecraft show that low‐altitude precipitation concurrent with equatorial whistler‐mode waves also exhibits a spatial periodicity as a function of latitude over a large spatial region. Whether this spatial periodicity might also be due to magnetospheric ULF waves spatially modulating electron fluxes and whistler‐mode chorus has not been previously addressed due to a lack of conjunctions between equatorial spacecraft, low earth orbit spacecraft, and ground‐based instruments. To examine this question, we combine ground‐based and equatorial observations magnetically conjugate to observations of precipitation at the low‐altitude, polar‐orbiting CubeSats Electron Losses and Fields Investigation‐A and ‐B. As they sequentially cross the outer radiation belt with a temporal separation of minutes to tens of minutes, they can easily reveal the spatial quasi‐periodicity of electron precipitation. Our combined data sets confirm that ULF waves may modulate whistler‐mode wave generation within a large magnetic local time and L‐shell domain in the equatorial magnetosphere, and thus lead to significant aggregate energetic electron precipitation exhibiting both temporal and spatial periodicity. Our results suggest that the coupling between ULF and whistler‐mode waves is important for outer radiation belt dynamics.

3-D global hybrid simulations of magnetospheric response to foreshock processes

It has been suggested that ion foreshock waves originating in the solar wind upstream of the quasi-parallel (Q-||) shock can impact the planetary magnetosphere leading to standing shear Alfvén waves, i.e., the field line resonances (FLRs). In this paper, we carry out simulations of interaction between the solar wind and terrestrial magnetosphere under radial interplanetary magnetic field conditions by using a 3-D global hybrid model, and show the properties of self-consistently generated field line resonances through direct mode conversion in magnetospheric response to the foreshock disturbances for the first time. The simulation results show that the foreshock disturbances from the Q-|| shock can excite magnetospheric ultralow-frequency waves, among which the toroidal Alfvén waves are examined. It is found that the foreshock wave spectrum covers a wide frequency range and matches the band of FLR harmonics after excluding the Doppler shift effects. The fundamental harmonic of field line resonances dominates and has the strongest wave power, and the higher the harmonic order, the weaker the corresponding wave power. The nodes and anti-nodes of the odd and even harmonics in the equatorial plane are also presented. In addition, as the local Alfvén speed increases earthward, the corresponding frequency of each harmonic increases. The field-aligned current in the cusp region indicative of the possibly observable aurora is found to be a result of magnetopause perturbation which is caused by the foreshock disturbances, and a global view substantiating this scenario is given. Finally, it is found that when the solar wind Mach number decreases, the strength of both field line resonance and field-aligned current decreases accordingly.

Global Propagation of Magnetospheric Pc5 ULF Waves Driven by Foreshock Transients

AbstractPc5 (2–7 mHz) ultralow frequency (ULF) waves play a significant role in resonating with particles and transferring energy in the coupled magnetospheric and ionospheric system. Recent studies found that Pc5 ULF waves can be triggered by foreshock transients which can perturb the magnetopause through dynamic pressure variation. However, whether foreshock transient‐driven Pc5 ULF waves are geoeffective and can propagate globally is still poorly understood. In this study, we take advantage of the conjunction between in situ (by the THEMIS probes, Geotail satellite, GOES satellites, and Van Allen probes) and ground‐based (by the all‐sky imager at South Pole and ground‐based magnetometers) observations to simultaneously analyze the waves from the foreshock region to the dayside and nightside magnetosphere. Both of our two events show that the Pc5 ULF waves are generated by foreshock transients in the dayside magnetosphere. The in situ observations by THEMIS A and D and the 2‐D auroral signatures show that the compressional mode waves are likely broadband and coupled to the FLRs with different frequencies and different azimuthal phase speeds. This is the first report that foreshock transients can drive both low‐ and high‐m FLRs, with the azimuthal wave numbers varying from ~5 to ~23. Moreover, the Pc5 ULF waves propagated antisunward to midnight, this can potentially modulate magnetospheric and ionospheric dynamics globally.

Simultaneous Observations of Geoelectric and Geomagnetic Fields Produced by Magnetospheric ULF Waves

AbstractGeomagnetic perturbations (BGEO) related to magnetospheric ultralow frequency (ULF) waves induce electric fields within the conductive Earth—geoelectric fields (EGEO)—that in turn drive geomagnetically induced currents. Though numerous past studies have examined ULF wave BGEO from a space weather perspective, few studies have linked ULF waves with EGEO. Using recently available magnetotelluric impedance and EGEO measurements in the contiguous United States, we explore the relationship between ULF waves and EGEO. We use satellite, ground‐based radar, BGEO, and EGEO measurements in a case study of a plasmaspheric virtual resonance (PVR), demonstrating that the PVR EGEO has significant spatial variation in contrast to a relatively uniform BGEO, consistent with spatially varying Earth conductivity. We further show ULF wave EGEO measurements during two moderate storms of ∼1 V/km. We use both results to highlight the need for more research characterizing ULF wave EGEO.

Features of Nightside ULF Wave Activity in the Ionosphere

AbstractWe investigate the features of nightside ultralow frequency (ULF) waves in the ionosphere using electric field data in the DC/ULF range observed by the Detection of Electro‐Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions (DEMETER) satellite over a ~5.5‐year period from May 2005 to November 2010. The ULF wave events are recognized by an automatic detection algorithm, and a superposed epoch analysis is performed to study the characteristics of ULF waves during geomagnetic storms. The results show that (1) ULF waves of both nonmagnetospheric and magnetospheric origins occur in the ionosphere; (2) nonmagnetospheric ULF waves present seasonal variations but have no clear response to storms; (3) magnetospheric ULF waves show clear association with the recovery phase of storms but have no obvious seasonal variations; and (4) an interhemispheric asymmetry with higher magnetospheric ULF wave occurrence rate in the Southern Hemisphere particularly around storms can be partly explained by the fact that more of selected isolated storms occurred during summer in the Northern Hemisphere (NH), hence higher conductivity in the NH. However, an analysis of few storms during equinoxes also shows a minor asymmetry. These results still indicate that the ionospheric conductivity in the Southern Hemisphere would be lower than in the NH at nighttime.

Direct observations of a surface eigenmode of the dayside magnetopause

The abrupt boundary between a magnetosphere and the surrounding plasma, the magnetopause, has long been known to support surface waves. It was proposed that impulses acting on the boundary might lead to a trapping of these waves on the dayside by the ionosphere, resulting in a standing wave or eigenmode of the magnetopause surface. No direct observational evidence of this has been found to date and searches for indirect evidence have proved inconclusive, leading to speculation that this mechanism might not occur. By using fortuitous multipoint spacecraft observations during a rare isolated fast plasma jet impinging on the boundary, here we show that the resulting magnetopause motion and magnetospheric ultra-low frequency waves at well-defined frequencies are in agreement with and can only be explained by the magnetopause surface eigenmode. We therefore show through direct observations that this mechanism, which should impact upon the magnetospheric system globally, does in fact occur.

First Results From Sonification and Exploratory Citizen Science of Magnetospheric ULF Waves: Long‐Lasting Decreasing‐Frequency Poloidal Field Line Resonances Following Geomagnetic Storms

AbstractMagnetospheric ultralow‐frequency (ULF) waves contribute to space weather in the solar wind‐magnetosphere‐ionosphere system. The monitoring of these waves by space‐ and ground‐based instruments, however, produces big data, which are difficult to navigate, mine, and analyze effectively. We present sonification, the process of converting an oscillatory time series into audible sound, and citizen science, where members of the public contribute to scientific investigations, as a means to potentially help tackle these issues. Magnetometer data in the ULF range at geostationary orbit have been sonified and released to London high schools as part of exploratory projects. While this approach reduces the overall likelihood of useful results from any particular group of citizen scientists compared to typical citizen science projects, it promotes independent learning and problem solving by all participants and can result in a small number of unexpected research outcomes. We present one such example, a case study identified by a group of students of decreasing‐frequency poloidal field line resonances over multiple days found to occur during the recovery phase of a coronal mass ejection‐driven geomagnetic storm. Simultaneous plasma density measurements show that the decreasing frequencies were due to the refilling of the plasmasphere following the storm. The waves were likely generated by internal plasma processes. Further exploration of the audio revealed many similar events following other major storms; thus, they are much more common than previously thought. We therefore highlight the potential of sonification and exploratory citizen science in addressing some of the challenges facing ULF wave research.

Investigation of ∼ 20–40 mHz ULF waves and their driving mechanisms in Mercury's dayside magnetosphere

Abstract. Ultra-low-frequency (ULF) waves in the ∼ 20–40 mHz range are frequently observed in the Mercury magnetosphere using Mercury Surface Space Environment Geochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) magnetic field data. The majority of these waves have very similar characteristics to the waves likely driven by Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) ULF waves (which are retained as a subset of the wave events studied in this paper) identified in a previous study. Significant ULF wave activity is observed in the dawn sector of the magnetosphere. This indicates that Mercury KH waves may be more common between 6 and 12 magnetic local time than previously predicted and that magnetospheric ULF waves in the frequency band ∼ 20–40 mHz can be used as a detection tool for Hermean KH waves.

A multispacecraft event study of Pc5 ultralow‐frequency waves in the magnetosphere and their external drivers

AbstractWe investigate a quiet time event of magnetospheric Pc5 ultralow‐frequency (ULF) waves and their likely external drivers using multiple spacecraft observations. Enhancements of electric and magnetic field perturbations in two narrow frequency bands, 1.5–2 mHz and 3.5–4 mHz, were observed over a large radial distance range from r ~ 5 to 11 RE. During the first half of this event, perturbations were mainly observed in the transverse components and only in the 3.5–4 mHz band. In comparison, enhancements were stronger during the second half in both transverse and compressional components and in both frequency bands. No indication of field line resonances was found for these magnetic field perturbations. Perturbations in these two bands were also observed in the magnetosheath, but not in the solar wind dynamic pressure perturbations. For the first interval, good correlations between the flow perturbations in the magnetosphere and magnetosheath and an indirect signature for Kelvin‐Helmholtz (K‐H) vortices suggest K‐H surface waves as the driver. For the second interval, good correlations are found between the magnetosheath dynamic pressure perturbations, magnetopause deformation, and magnetospheric waves, all in good correspondence to interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) discontinuities. The characteristics of these perturbations can be explained by being driven by foreshock perturbations resulting from these IMF discontinuities. This event shows that even during quiet periods, K‐H‐unstable magnetopause and ion foreshock perturbations can combine to create a highly dynamic magnetospheric ULF wave environment.

Dayside magnetospheric ULF wave frequency modulated by a solar wind dynamic pressure negative impulse

AbstractUltralow frequency (ULF) waves play an important role in the transport of the solar wind energy to the magnetosphere. In this paper, we present a ULF wave event in the dayside magnetosphere which shows a sudden decrease in frequency from 3.1 to 2.3 mHz around 0756 UT on 11 January 2010, when a solar wind dynamic pressure drop (from ∼5 to ∼2 nPa) was observed simultaneously. The wave exits globally. The phase differences between electric and magnetic fields indicate that the compressional mode wave is standing before and after the wave frequency decrease. This result suggests that the ULF wave should be associated with a cavity mode and the frequency decrease might be induced by the change of the cavity size. A theoretical calculation was made to estimate the cavity mode frequency. The calculated wave frequency before/after the negative impulse is 3.8/2.6 mHz, which is consistent with the observations.

Observations of magnetospheric ULF waves in connection with the Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability at Mercury

AbstractThe magnetic field data from the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft is investigated to establish the presence of magnetospheric ultralow frequency (ULF) waves in connection with 131 previously observed nonlinear Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) waves at Mercury. Distinct ULF wave signatures are detected in 44 out of the 131 magnetospheric traversals prior to or after observing the KH waves. Of these ULF events, 39 out of 44 are highly coherent at the frequency of maximum power spectral density and occur more often on the dayside magnetosphere than away from it. The waves observed at the dayside magnetosphere, which appear mainly at the duskside and naturally following the KH wave occurrence asymmetry, are significantly different from the eveningside or morningside events and have the following distinct wave characteristics: a polarization mainly in the perpendicular (azimuthal) direction to the mean magnetic field, a wave normal angle closer to the parallel than the perpendicular direction, an absolute ellipticity increasing away from noon, almost exclusively a right‐hand polarization, and frequencies in the narrow range of 0.02–0.04 Hz (well below the local Na+ gyrofrequency and in the same range as the KH waves). The results strongly suggest that the large majority of the ULF waves at the dayside observed in this study are driven by KH waves at the magnetopause and that they occur in the vicinity of a field line resonance, which in turn manifests the importance of the Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability in terms of energy and momentum transport throughout Mercury's magnetosphere.

The influence of solar wind variability on magnetospheric ULF wave power

Abstract. Magnetospheric ultra-low frequency (ULF) oscillations in the Pc 4–5 frequency range play an important role in the dynamics of Earth's radiation belts, both by enhancing the radial diffusion through incoherent interactions and through the coherent drift-resonant interactions with trapped radiation belt electrons. The statistical distributions of magnetospheric ULF wave power are known to be strongly dependent on solar wind parameters such as solar wind speed and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation. Statistical characterisation of ULF wave power in the magnetosphere traditionally relies on average solar wind–IMF conditions over a specific time period. In this brief report, we perform an alternative characterisation of the solar wind influence on magnetospheric ULF wave activity through the characterisation of the solar wind driver by its variability using the standard deviation of solar wind parameters rather than a simple time average. We present a statistical study of nearly one solar cycle (1996–2004) of geosynchronous observations of magnetic ULF wave power and find that there is significant variation in ULF wave powers as a function of the dynamic properties of the solar wind. In particular, we find that the variability in IMF vector, rather than variabilities in other parameters (solar wind density, bulk velocity and ion temperature), plays the strongest role in controlling geosynchronous ULF power. We conclude that, although time-averaged bulk properties of the solar wind are a key factor in driving ULF powers in the magnetosphere, the solar wind variability can be an important contributor as well. This highlights the potential importance of including solar wind variability especially in studies of ULF wave dynamics in order to assess the efficiency of solar wind–magnetosphere coupling.

Ubiquity of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves at Earth's magnetopause.

Magnetic reconnection is believed to be the dominant process by which solar wind plasma enters the magnetosphere. However, for periods of northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) reconnection is less likely at the dayside magnetopause, and Kelvin–Helmholtz waves (KHWs) may be important agents for plasma entry and for the excitation of ultra-low-frequency (ULF) waves. The relative importance of KHWs is controversial because no statistical data on their occurrence frequency exist. Here we survey 7 years of in situ data from the NASA THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macro scale Interactions during Substorms) mission and find that KHWs occur at the magnetopause ∼19% of the time. The rate increases with solar wind speed, Alfven Mach number and number density, but is mostly independent of IMF magnitude. KHWs may thus be more important for plasma transport across the magnetopause than previously thought, and frequently drive magnetospheric ULF waves.

Probabilistic forecasting analysis of geomagnetic indices for southward IMF events

Geomagnetic disturbances that drive space weather impacts such as ground-induced currents and radiation belt enhancements are usually driven by strong southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) intervals. However, current heliospheric models either do not predict or provide low-accuracy forecasts of IMF Bz. Here we examine the probability distribution function of geomagnetic activity indices for southward IMF intervals. We analyze the in situ plasma and magnetic field measurements long-duration large-amplitude southward IMF intervals (called Bs events). The statistical profiles of other solar wind and IMF parameters show significant differences during the periods 1 day before the Bs events for different solar wind transients (such as interplanetary coronal mass ejections and stream interaction regions). As is well known, we find that the solar wind speed is positively correlated with geomagnetic indices and that strong southward IMF is the key in storm triggering but not necessarily for substorms. We find that the solar wind density weakly affects geomagnetic field activity, but the response depends on the type of solar wind transient that includes the strong Bs events. We also find that magnetospheric ultralow-frequency waves are induced by both strong southward IMF and solar wind dynamic pressure disturbances. We suggest that strong Bs events could be predicted from the preceding characteristics of solar wind and IMF changes and that probabilistic forecasting of geomagnetic activity occurrence is potentially useful in space weather forecasting. We present preliminary analysis to demonstrate the out-of-sample ability to predict IMF Bs events with in situ solar wind data.

Modeling magnetospheric response to synthetic Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind: ULF wave fields in the magnetosphere

AbstractSeveral observational studies suggest that small fluctuations in the solar wind can drive magnetospheric dynamics, notably ultralow frequency (ULF) waves, especially during high‐speed streams (HSS). ULF fluctuations are believed to be a mechanism for controlling and accelerating radiation belt electrons, and are an important aspect to HSS storms. Previous simulation studies have begun to investigate generation of magnetospheric ULF waves by varying upstream solar wind conditions, such as dynamic pressure or velocity shear. Alfvénic fluctuations, however, which are prevalent within the solar wind, have yet to be incorporated into global MHD simulations of the magnetosphere. To investigate the relationship between Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind and magnetospheric ULF waves, we present results from the Lyon‐Fedder‐Mobarry global, three‐dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code. These simulations are driven with simulated solar wind plasma parameters from the Wang‐Sheeley‐Arge‐Enlil model with and without Alfvén‐like fluctuations added. We show that solar wind Alfvénic fluctuations enhance Kelvin‐Helmholtz waves along the flanks and drive ULF waves in the dayside magnetosphere. The dayside ULF waves are an enhancement of the compressional component in field‐aligned coordinates, due to the varying x component of the velocity (and therefore dynamic pressure) from the Alfvénic fluctuations.

On the ionospheric perturbation for the 1995 Kobe earthquake: revisited

The presence of seismo-lower ionospheric perturbation for the Kobe earthquake (EQ) has been revisited with a relatively new phenomenon of ULF (ultra-low-frequency) magnetic field depression effect. By using the ULF data in Japan only at Kakioka belonging to Japan Meteorological Agency (because data from Memambetsu and Kanoya were not available), we have found that a very clear ULF depression was observed at Kakioka on 14 January 1995. A comparison with our former result on subionospheric VLF (very low frequency) propagation anomaly indicates that the occurrence of ULF depression exhibits a temporal coincidence (synchronization) with that of subionospheric VLF anomaly. This may be acceptable because the ULF depression can be explained in terms of enhanced absorption of magnetospheric ULF waves through the disturbed lower ionosphere prior to an EQ. The result of ULF magnetic field depression in this paper is likely to provide a further support to the presence of the lower ionospheric perturbation before the Kobe EQ.

Magnetospheric ULF wave studies in the frame of Swarm mission: a time-frequency analysis tool for automated detection of pulsations in magnetic and electric field observations

We combine the advantages of multi-spacecraft and ground-based monitoring of the geospace environment in order to analyze and study magnetospheric ultra low frequency (ULF) waves. In line with this aim, we also develop and deliver relevant analysis tools based on wavelet transforms and tailored to the Swarm mission. In the preparation phase as well as the lifetime of the Swarm mission, the analysis of isolated ULF wave events— especially those detected in the Pc3 frequency range (20–100 mHz) that a topside ionosphere mission efficiently resolves—can help to elucidate the processes that play a crucial role in the generation of waves and their most defining propagation characteristics. Additionally, we offer a useful platform to monitor the wave evolution from the outer boundaries of Earth’s magnetosphere through the topside ionosphere down to the surface. Data from a single Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite (CHAMP), a multi-satellite LEO mission (ST5) and the ongoing multi-satellite magnetospheric mission (Cluster) along with a ground-based magnetic network (CARISMA) are used to demonstrate the potential of our analysis technique in studying wave evolution in detail. A better understanding of the generation and propagation of waves will also allow to geophysically validate some of Swarm’s data products, especially those related to the magnetic and electric fields in geospace. With a carefully selected case study focusing on the recovery phase of a moderate magnetic storm (9 April 2006 with a minimum Dst value of −82 nT) as a starting point, we clearly demonstrate the capabilities offered by our wavelet analysis tools and highlight the options opened to treat various categories of multipoint multi-instrument measurements (both spaceborne and ground-based) for signatures of ULF wave signals as well as the effects of various other sources.

Solar wind driving of magnetospheric ULF waves: Field line resonances driven by dynamic pressure fluctuations

Several observational studies suggest that solar wind dynamic pressure fluctuations can drive magnetospheric ultralow‐frequency (ULF) waves on the dayside. To investigate this causal relationship, we present results from Lyon‐Fedder‐Mobarry (LFM) global, three‐dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the solar wind–magnetosphere interaction. These simulations are driven with synthetic solar wind input conditions where idealized ULF dynamic pressure fluctuations are embedded in the upstream solar wind. In three of the simulations, a monochromatic, sinusoidal ULF oscillation is introduced into the solar wind dynamic pressure time series. In the fourth simulation, a continuum of ULF fluctuations over the 0–50 mHz frequency band is introduced into the solar wind dynamic pressure time series. In this numerical experiment, the idealized solar wind input conditions allow us to study only the effect of a fluctuating solar wind dynamic pressure, while holding all of the other solar wind driving parameters constant. We show that the monochromatic solar wind dynamic pressure fluctuations drive toroidal mode field line resonances (FLRs) on the dayside at locations where the upstream driving frequency matches a local field line eigenfrequency. In addition, we show that the continuum of upstream solar wind dynamic pressure fluctuations drives a continuous spectrum of toroidal mode FLRs on the dayside. The characteristics of the simulated FLRs agree well with FLR observations, including a phase reversal radially across a peak in wave power, a change in the sense of polarization across the noon meridian, and a net flux of energy into the ionosphere.

Numerical simulation of magnetospheric ULF waves excited by positive and negative impulses of solar wind dynamic pressure

The sources of ultra low frequency (ULF) waves in the magnetosphere are generally believed to be either the external solar wind perturbations or the internal plasma instabilities. When a sudden impulse of the solar wind dynamic pressure impinges on the magnetopause, ULF waves might be excited and thus the solar wind energy is transported into the earth’s magnetosphere. In this paper, we study the ULF waves excited by different kinds of sudden solar wind pressure impulses through an MHD simulation. We primarily focus on the responses of the earth’s magnetosphere to positive/negative impulses of solar wind dynamic pressure, and positive-negative impulse pairs. The simulation results show that the ULF waves excited by positive and negative impulse have the same amplitude and frequency, with 180° difference in phase, if the amplitude and durations of the input impulses are the same. In addition, it is found that field line resonances (FLRs) occur at certain L-shell regions of the earth’s magnetosphere after the impact of different positive-negative impulse pairs, which appear to be related to the duration of the impulses and the time interval between the sequential impulses. Another result is that the energy from the solar wind could be transported deeper into the inner magnetosphere by an impulse pair than by a single pulse impact. The results presented in this paper could help us to better understand how energy is transported from solar wind to the earth’s magnetosphere via ULF waves. Also, these results provide some new clues to understanding of how energetic particles in the inner magnetosphere response to different kinds of solar wind pressure impulse impacts including interplanetary shocks.

Solar wind driving of magnetospheric ULF waves: Pulsations driven by velocity shear at the magnetopause

We present results from global, three‐dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the solar wind/magnetosphere interaction. These MHD simulations are used to study ultra low frequency (ULF) pulsations in the Earth's magnetosphere driven by shear instabilities at the flanks of the magnetopause. We drive the simulations with idealized, constant solar wind input parameters, ensuring that any discrete ULF pulsations generated in the simulation magnetosphere are not due to fluctuations in the solar wind. The simulations presented in this study are driven by purely southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions, changing only the solar wind driving velocity while holding all of the other solar wind input parameters constant. We find surface waves near the dawn and dusk flank magnetopause and show that these waves are generated by the Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) instability. We also find that two KH modes are generated near the magnetopause boundary. One mode, the magnetopause KH mode, propagates tailward along the magnetopause boundary. The other mode, the inner KH mode, propagates tailward along the inner edge of the boundary layer (IEBL). We find large vortical structures associated with the inner KH mode that are centered on the IEBL. The phase velocities, wavelengths, and frequencies of the two KH modes are computed. The KH waves are found to be fairly monochromatic with well‐defined wavelengths. In addition, the inner and magnetopause KH modes are coupled and lead to a coupled oscillation of the low‐latitude boundary layer. The boundary layer thickness, d, is computed and we find maximum wave growth for kd = 0.5–1.0, where k is the wave number, consistent with the linear theory of the KH instability. We comment briefly on the effectiveness of these KH waves in the energization and transport of radiation belt electrons.