ON THE UPWARD ACCELERATION OF ELECTRONS AND IONS BY LOW-FREQUENCY ELECTRIC-FIELD FLUCTUATIONS OBSERVED BY VIKING

• The dependence of the generation of upward electron beams in the to side ionosphere on the amplitude of the slow electric field fluctuations and the magnitude of the dc potential difference in the acceleration region is found to agree with the model involving the fluctuating electric field component presented in 1988 by Hultqvist. The ratio between the amplitude of the electric field fluctuations, E(f), determined by the dipole electric field experiment, and the dc acceleration voltage V(acc), given by the energy of the upflowing ion beam, is much higher on average for satellite spins showing an upward electron beam than for the spins without. It is also shown that low plasma density favors the generation of electron beams.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Geofysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Geophysics (hsv//eng)

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ref (subject category)

art (subject category)