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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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35 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Simultaneous excitation of broadband electrostatic noise and electron cyclotron waves in the plasma sheet

Electron cyclotron harmonics and broadband electrostatic noise (BEN) are often observed in the earth's outer plasma sheet. While it is well known that ion beams in the plasma sheet boundary layer can generate BEN, new two-dimensional electrostatic simulations show that field-aligned ion beams with a small perpendicular ring distribution can drive not only BEN, but also electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) waves simultaneously. Simulation results are presented here using detailed diagnostics of wave properties, including dispersion relations of all wave modes.

Berchem, Jean P.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Generation of broadband electrostatic noise by ion beam instabilities in the magnetotail

Particle data from ISEE 1 sampled in the earth's magnetotail show the presence of energetic ion beams in the boundary layer of the plasma sheet. A theory of instabilities driven by the beams is developed and compared with wave data sampled simultaneously to the particle data. It is concluded that the ion beams generate broadband electrostatic bursts of noise. The electrostatic noise correlates well with the occurrence of the beams, and the spectrum is consistent with that predicted from a negative energy beam instability under magnetotail conditions. The theory predicts that a spectrum of growing waves can be driven for frequencies from 0.001 omega(pe) up to omega(pe), the electron plasma frequency, with a spectral peak typically near 0.01 omega(pe) or lower, in agreement with the wave data. Furthermore, as one moves away from the source region perpendicular to the magnetic field, the high frequency components of the observed wave spectra are predicted to disappear gradually, leaving the low frequency part of the spectrum, also as is observed. Evidence is given for significant pitch angle scattering of the beams by the broadband electrostatic noise, leading to more isotropic ion distributions.

Grabbe, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Generation of high-frequency broadband electrostatic noise - The role of cold electrons

Broadband electrostatic noise (BEN) is commonly observed in the plasma sheet boundary layer in association with ion beams. The generation of these waves in a plasma consisting of an ion beam and a background of hot ions, hot electrons, and cold electrons is investigated. The cold electrons are of ionospheric origin. A complete, systematic study of electrostatic ion beam instabilities, including cold electrons, has been done, and it is shown that for the plasma configuration described, four instabilities can be excited: (1) ion acoustic, (2) Buneman, (3) beam resonant, and (4) electron acoustic instabilities. A low and high beam temperature division is shown to exist that separates when different instabilities can be excited. For typically observed parameters in the plasma sheet boundary layer, the ion beams lie in the high-temperature regime. In this regime, the beam resonant and electron acoustic instabilities are excited, and these instabilities can account for the high-frequency (higher than 500 Hz), low-power portion of the BEN spectrum. In the absence of cold electrons, no such wave growth occurs.

Schriver, David↗
NASA NTRS1989

Broadband electrostatic waves as a consequence of magnetotail reconnection

One and two-dimensional particle stimulations are used to study ion beam driven instabilities within the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) and the consequences these instabilities have in terms of plasma heating. It shown that when cold lobe plasma convects into the PSBL and interacts with the ion beams, two wave modes can be driven unstable, the electron acoustic and ion-ion two stream instabilities; these waves heat the cold electrons and cold ions close to plasma sheet temperatures.

Ashour-Abdalla, Maha↗
NASA NTRS2001

The Plasma Wave Environment of Europa

The Galileo spacecraft has executed nine close flybys of Jupiter's moon Europa for which plasma wave observations were obtained. This paper presents an analysis of the observations from these flybys taking into consideration the variable geometry of the trajectories in an attempt to characterize the general plasma-wave environment associated with the interaction of the Jovian magnetosphere with the moon. A wide variety of plasma-wave phenomena are found to be associated with this interaction. While there are apparently temporal variations which complicate the analysis, a crude model of the distribution of these phenomena around Europa is derived. Primarily on the upstream side of Europa, and working inward to the moon, electron-cyclotron harmonics are first observed, followed by a region within about two Europa radii of the moon with whistler-mode hiss or chorus, and culminating in a region closest to the moon where a band at the upper hybrid resonance frequency is sometimes enhanced over its ambient intensity. The wake region is approximately two Europa radii across and comprises a broadband, highly variable, and bursty electrostatic phenomenon. Upon closer inspection, these bursty emissions appear as solitary structures similar to those in Earth's auroral zone and plasma sheet boundary layer. In addition to the survey of wave phenomena in the vicinity of Europa, we provide density profiles derived primarily from the upper hybrid resonance frequency which is readily apparent throughout most of each of the flybys. Finally, we suggest that the whistler mode, electron cyclotron harmonic, and upper hybrid resonance emissions are driven by some combination of factors including variations in the magnetic field near Europa and the loss and production of plasma at Europa as a result of the interaction of the Jovian magnetosphere with the moon. By analogy with studies of the ion and electron holes and broadband electrostatic noise at Earth and Jupiter, we argue that the electrostatic solitary structures in the wake are associated with currents and beams coupling Europa to Jupiter's ionosphere.

Kurth, W. S.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Average electric wave spectra across the plasma sheet and their relation to ion bulk speed

Using 4 months of tail data obtained by the ELF/MF spectrum analyzer of the wave experiment and the three-dimensional plasma instrument on board the AMPTE/IRM satellite, a statistical survey on the electric wave spectral density in the earth's plasma sheet has been conducted. More than 50,000 10-s-averaged electric wave spectra were analyzed with respect to differences between their values in the inner and outer central plasma sheet and the plasma sheet boundary layer as well as their dependence on radial distance and ion bulk speed. High-speed flows are dominated by broadband electrostatic noise with highest spectral densities in the plasma sheet boundary, where broadband electrostatic noise also exists during periods of low-speed flows. The broadband electrostatic noise has a typical spectral index of about -2. During low-speed flows the spectra in the central plasma sheet show distinct emissions at the electron cyclotron odd half-harmonic and upper hybrid frequency. Wave intensities during episodes of fast perpendicular flows are higher than those associated with fast parallel flows.

Baumjohann, W.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Plasma Waves Observed in the Cusp Turbulent Boundary Layer: An Analysis of High Time Resolution Wave and Particle Measurements from the Polar Spacecraft

The boundary layer located in the cusp and adjacent to the magnetopause is a region that is quite turbulent and abundant with waves. The Polar spacecraft's orbit and sophisticated instrumentation are ideal for studying this region of space. Our analysis of the waveform data obtained in this turbulent boundary layer shows broadband magnetic noise extending up to a few kilohertz (but less than the electron cyclotron frequency); sinusoidal bursts (a few tenths of a second) of whistler mode waves at around a few tens of hertz, a few hundreds of hertz, and just below the electron cyclotron frequency; and bipolar pulses, interpreted as electron phase-space holes. In addition, bursts of electron cyclotron harmonic waves are occasionally observed with magnetic components. We show evidence of broadband electrostatic bursts covering a range of approx. 3 to approx. 25 kHz (near but less than the plasma frequency) occurring in packets modulated at the frequency of some of the whistler mode waves. On the basis of high time resolution particle data from the Polar HYDRA instrument, we show that these bursts are consistent with generation by the resistive medium instability. The most likely source of the whistler mode waves is the magnetic reconnection site closest to the spacecraft, since the waves are observed propagating both toward and away from the Earth, are bursty, which is often the case with reconnection, and do not fit on the theoretical cold plasma dispersion relation curve.

Pickett, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Plasma waves in the magnetotail of Uranus

Plasma wave phenomena observed during the Voyager 2 passing through the magnetotail of Uranus after its encounter with the planet on January 24, 1986 are described. The location of the wave events, their probable mode of propagation, and their association with various plasma and charged particle observations are presented. It was found that the most remarkable magnetotail plasma waves were inside the distance of about 23 Uranus radii, with an additional event occurring between about 48 and 56 Uranus radii. The frequency of these magnetotail plasma waves was found to be below about 100 Hz, extending down to the 10-Hz lower frequency limit of the receiver. The shape of the spectrum and the location of the wave activity near the boundary layer suggest that these waves may be similar to broadband electrostatic waves observed in similar regions of the earth's magnetotail.

Kurth, W. S.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Broadband electrostatic noise due to field-aligned currents

There are observations of broadband electrostatic noise in the plasma-sheet boundary layer that are associated with field-aligned currents (electron beams), which often have an upper cutoff frequency above the electron plasma frequency. In this paper linear theory and numerical simulations are used to study instabilities caused by an electron beam in a thermally mixed plasma. It is shown that two instabilities, the electron acoustic and electron-ion instabilities, can combine to form a broadband wave spectrum that rapidly destroys the electron beam.

Schriver, David↗
NASA NTRS1987

Generation of broadband noise in the magnetotail

The generation of electrostatic noise in the geomagnetic tail by ion beams is evaluated, assuming a stationary plasma-sheet electron distribution and streaming-ion distributions. Both warm ion streams, as observed within the plasma-sheet boundary layer, and cold ion streams, as expected from upward flowing ionospheric ions, are considered. Warm ion streams by themselves are found to be stable, whereas a cold ion stream by itself is unstable to the beam acoustic mode. However, wave growth is increased if both cold and warm streams are simultaneously present. These results suggest that the interaction between the warm and cold ion streams is responsible for the peak in electrostatic-wave intensities observed within the plasma-sheet boundary layer. For cold and warm ions streaming in the same direction, wave-growth peaks are found for wave normal angles theta = 0 deg and wave frequencies about 0.1 times the electron plasma frequency. However, for antiparallel streaming cold and warm ions, wave growth peaks near theta = 90 deg and wave frequencies are an order of magnitude smaller.

Dusenbery, P. B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A statistical study of ELF-VLF plasma waves at the magnetopause

ISEE 1 plasma wave data are used to study the broadband ELF-VLF plasma waves at the magnetopause. Enhanced wave intensities are detected at 85 percent of all magnetopause crossings. Wave amplitudes vary from event to event and even with a single event. Wave spectra averaged over many passes, however, are similar at dawn, noon, and dusk local hours. The only parameter correlated with wave intensity is the magnitude of the Z component of the magnetosheath magnetic field. The results place strong constraints on any proposed generation mechanism for the broadband magnetopause boundary layer waves.

Tsurutani, Bruce T.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Theory and simulations of broadband electrostatic noise in the geomagnetic tail

The excitation mechanism for broadband electrostatic noise (BEN) and the effects of BEN particles in the geomagnetic tail are examined using the linear analysis theory and particle simulations. The linear theory for electrostatic instabilities is discussed. The plasma sheet particle population is simulated using counter-streaming cold ion beams, and warm ions and electrons. The ion-ion instability, ion-acoustic mode, and the electrostatic ion cyclotron harmonic waves are studied. The velocity distributions, electric field intensity, and electron plasma waves for the plasma sheet boundary layer are evaluated. The frequency wave spectrum and particle distributions are computed and analyzed. The conditions for the two simulations, which differ only in beam ion drift speed, are described; it is observed that in the first simulation the dominate modes propagate parallel to the magnetic field and in the second simulation the propagation modes are oblique. The simulation data reveal that when beam temperature is smaller than plasma sheet temperature ion-acoustic and ion-ion instabilities grow to large amplitudes heating both electrons and ions. The data are compared to ISEE-1 observations and good correlation is obtained.

Ashour-Abdalla, M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

An analysis of Pioneer 9 low-frequency wave observations near interplanetary discontinuities.

Observation of an unusually complex sector boundary on Feb. 2, 1969. Within a single seven-hour period the Pioneer 9 magnetometer and plasma probe detected a reverse shock, a slow shock, and a conventional fast shock. During this interval the electron gyrofrequency and the ion plasma frequency each varied by more than a factor of 10, and the low-frequency (broadband and 400-Hz) electric field wave levels were high and variable. It is shown that, near the discontinuities, enhanced 400-Hz wave levels were not generally associated with field gradients or current layers, but elevated 400-Hz wave levels were detected when the ion density fell within a fairly well-defined window. This suggests that modes related to ion sound waves were detected, and the observations are assessed in terms of various theories for interplanetary wave generation.

Scarf, F. L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Simulation of electrostatic turbulence in the plasma sheet boundary layer with electron currents and bean-shaped ion beams

Plasma data from ISEE-1 show the presence of electron currents as well as energetic ion beams in the plasma sheet boundary layer. Broadband electrostatic noise and low-frequency electromagnetic bursts are detected in the plasma sheet boundary layer, especially in the presence of strong ion flows, currents, and steep spacial gradients in the fluxes of few-keV electrons and ions. Particle simulations have been performed to investigate electrostatic turbulence driven by a cold electron beam and/or ion beams with a bean-shaped velocity distribution. The simulation results show that the counterstreaming ion beams as well as the counterstreaming of the cold electron beam and the ion beam excite ion acoustic waves with a given Doppler-shifted real frequency. However, the effect of the bean-shaped ion velocity distributions reduces the growth rates of ion acoustic instability. The simulation results also show that the slowing down of the ion bean is larger at the larger perpendicular velocity. The wave spectra of the electric fields at some points of the simulations show turbulence generated by growing waves.

Nishikawa, K.-I.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Comment on 'Generation of broadband noise in the magnetotail by the beam acoustic instability' by P.B. Dusenbery

It is shown here that of the three plasma models for the generation of broadband noise in the magnetotail proposed by Dusenbery and Lyons (1985), two result in the same types of instabilities that are also excited in the Grabbe and Eastman (GE, 1984) model, while the third model introduces other modes not present in the GE model. For the plasma parameters given in the GE model, the ion/ion acoustic instability is a nonresonant one, even though the phase velocity of the excited waves falls within the distribution function of the core ions. The nonlinear saturation mechanism of the ion/ion acoustic instability is the trapping of both the core and the beam ions. In a reply, Dusenbery addresses several ongoing controversies which have resulted from studies of wave particle interactions in the plasma sheet boundary layer.

Omidi, N.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Wave/particle interactions in the plasma sheet

The most frequent and intense waves observed in the geomagnetic tail region are short wavelength electrostatic broadband emissions. Early observations of these waves were made by using IMP 7 and 8 respectively. A broad frequency range for the waves was found, from about 10Hz to several kHz, with an average r.m.s. electric field amplitude of about 1mV/m was found. Other less frequent and less intense wave modes were also identified: magnetic noise bursts and electrostatic electron-cyclotron waves. The highest frequency of occurrence of the electrostatic noise as found in the region near the plasma sheet boundary when anisotropic fluxes of ions streaming either earthward or antiearthward were present. It was confirmed, by using ISEE data that the waves were usually observed during times of ion streaming and that the intensity and frequency range was maximum in the plasma sheet boundary layer and fell off dramatically in the tail lobe and central plasma sheet regions. It is suggested that increases in the electron and ion temperature in going from the tail lobe to the central plasma sheet are a result of scattering of resonant, boundary layer plasma.

Dusenberry, P. R.↗