Experimental Determination of Whistler Wave Dispersion Relation in the Solar Wind

Stansby, David; Horbury, T. S.; Chen, C. H. K.; Matteini, Lorenzo

doi:10.3847/2041-8205/829/1/l16

Cited by 79 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…We can then consider this spectrum as a mixture of spatial (due to relative motion of the plasma with respect to the satellite) and temporal (intrinsic) variations. Consistent with that, the spectral bump related to whistlers is observed beyond f de and closer to (but below) the local electron cyclotron frequency f ce , as indeed expected for typical quasi-parallel whistlers (Lacombe et al 2014;Stansby et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Electric and magnetic spectra from MHD to electron scales in the magnetosheath

Matteini

Alexandrova

Chen

et al. 2016

Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc.

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We investigate the transition of the turbulence from large to kinetic scales using Cluster observations. Simultaneous spectra of magnetic and electric fields in the Earth's magnetosheath from magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) to electron scales are presented for the first time. While the two spectra have approximatively similar behaviour in the fluid-MHD regime, they show different trends in the kinetic range. As the magnetic field spectrum steepens at ion scales, the electric field spectrum is characterized by a shallower power law continuing down to electron scales. Such an evolution is consistent with theoretical expectations, assuming that the turbulence is dominated by highly oblique k-vectors and that between ion and electron scales the electric field is governed by the non-ideal terms in the generalized Ohm's law. This leads to an expected linear increase of the electric-to-magnetic ratio of fluctuations, consistent with observations presented here. The influence of local whistler wave activity on electron-scale spectra is also discussed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Electric and magnetic spectra from MHD to electron scales in the magnetosheath

Matteini

Alexandrova

Chen

et al. 2016

Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc.

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“…In the present study, whistler waves may possibly be introduced into the ECW sample, since they can be similar to the ECWs. However, the population of whistler waves in our wave sample should be minor, because whistler waves in the solar wind are observed with their frequencies usually greater than 1 Hz (e.g., Beinroth & Neubauer, 1981;Lacombe et al, 2014;Stansby et al, 2016), which is larger than the frequency criterion set in our wave detection procedure. The frequency distribution shown in Figure 13a also supports this speculation, since the wave sample is dominated by frequencies less than 0.5 Hz.…”

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Statistical Study of Low‐Frequency Electromagnetic Cyclotron Waves in the Solar Wind at 1 AU

Zhao

Feng

et al. 2018

JGR Space Physics

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Electromagnetic cyclotron waves (ECWs) near the proton cyclotron frequency are common wave activities in the solar wind and have attracted much attention in recent years. This paper investigates 82,809 ECWs based on magnetic field data from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory‐A mission between 2007 and 2013. Results show that ECWs may last for just a few seconds or incessantly for several tens of minutes. The time fraction of ECW storms among all solar wind is about 0.9%; the storms are obtained with the duration threshold of 10 min, amplitude criterion of 0.032 nT, and time separation limit of 3 min for combination of intermittent ECWs. Most of ECWs have their amplitudes less than 1 nT, while some ECWs have large amplitudes comparable to the ambient magnetic field. The distributions of the durations and amplitudes of these ECWs are characterized by power law spectra, respectively, with spectrum indexes around 4. Statistically, there seems to be a tendency that ECWs with a longer duration will have a larger amplitude. Observed ECW properties are time dependent, and the median frequency of left‐hand ECWs can be lower than that of right‐hand ECWs in some months in the spacecraft frame. The percentage of left‐hand ECWs varies in a large range with respect to months; it is much low (26%) in a month, though it frequently exceeds 50% in other months. Characteristics of ECWs with concurrent polarizations are also researched. The present study should be of importance for a more complete picture of ECWs in the solar wind.

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“…Whistler waves are important naturally occurring electromagnetic emissions in space plasmas [Helliwell, 1965]. These waves have been observed in the solar wind, magnetosheath, and planetary magnetospheres [e.g., Shaikh and Zank, 2010;Breneman et al, 2010;Stansby et al, 2016;Smith and Tsurutani, 1976;Tsurutani and Smith, 1974;Thorne et al, 1973]. Whistler waves play important roles in energetic electron dynamics in the inner magnetosphere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quasilinear analysis of saturation properties of broadband whistler mode waves

Tao

Chen

Liu

et al. 2017

Geophysical Research Letters

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Saturation properties of parallel propagating broadband whistler mode waves are investigated using quasilinear theory. By assuming that the electron distribution stays bi‐Maxwellian, we combine the previously obtained energy equation of quasilinear theory with wave equation to self‐consistently model the excitation of broadband whistler waves. The resulting evolution profile of wave intensity, spectrum, and electron temperature are consistent with those from particle‐in‐cell (PIC) simulations. We obtain the inverse relation between the saturation temperature anisotropy (A) and parallel plasma beta (β∥) directly from quasilinear theory. Our A‐β∥ relation agrees very well with previous results from observation and PIC simulation. We also demonstrate that it might be possible to predict the wave amplitude from the initial maximum linear growth rate alone and show that the peak frequency and spectrum width are well‐defined functions of the final β∥ at saturation, but not of the initial β∥.

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Experimental Determination of Whistler Wave Dispersion Relation in the Solar Wind

Cited by 79 publications

References 41 publications

Electric and magnetic spectra from MHD to electron scales in the magnetosheath

Electric and magnetic spectra from MHD to electron scales in the magnetosheath

Statistical Study of Low‐Frequency Electromagnetic Cyclotron Waves in the Solar Wind at 1 AU

Quasilinear analysis of saturation properties of broadband whistler mode waves

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