Acceleration and Stochastic Heating of Ions Drifting Through an Auroral Arc

• We find that ions E x B drifting through an auroral arc can undergo transverse acceleration and stochastic heating. This result is very analogous to recent work regarding similar phenomena in the magnetotail (Buchner and Zelenyi, 1990; Chen and Palmadesso, 1986; Brittnacher and Whipple, 199 1). An analytic expression for the maximum arc width for which chaotic behavior is present is derived and numerically verified. We find, for example, that a 1.5-km-thick arc at LAMBDA = 65-degrees requires a minimum potential drop of 3 kV for transverse ion acceleration and heating to occur. Thicker arcs require higher potential drops for stochasticity to occur. This mechanism could be a source for conic ions.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Fusion, plasma och rymdfysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics (hsv//eng)

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