Work

The Principal Role of Chorus Ducting for Night‐Side Relativistic Electron Precipitation

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Night‐side chorus waves are often observed during plasma sheet injections, typically confined around the equator and thus potentially responsible for precipitation of ≲100 keV electrons. However, recent low‐altitude observations have revealed the critical role of chorus waves in scattering relativistic electrons on the night‐side. This study presents a night‐side relativistic electron precipitation event induced by chorus waves at the strong diffusion regime, as observed by the ELFIN CubeSats. Through event‐based modeling of wave propagation under ducted or unducted regimes, we show that a density duct is essential for guiding chorus waves to high latitudes with minimal damping, thus enabling the strong night‐side relativistic electron precipitation. These findings underline both the existence and the important role of density ducts in facilitating night‐side relativistic electron precipitation.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1029/2024gl110365

Authors: Ning Kang, Anton V. Artemyev, Jacob Bortnik, Xiao‐Jia Zhang, Vassilis Angelopoulos

Institutions: University of California, Los Angeles, The University of Texas at Dallas

Language: English

Topic: Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,900

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration