Observations of an  upward-directed electron beam with the perpendicular temperature of the cold ionosphere

• The Freja TESP electron spectrometer has repeatedly observed similar to 100 eV - 1 keV upward-directed, anti-field-aligned electron beams near 1700 km altitude in the auroral zone. A particularly intense event, at energies up to 2 keV, is described. The beam perpendicular temperature T perpendicular to(e)), was as low as 0.1-0.2 eV at 100-200 eV parallel energy. The 10-15 s period of upward fluxes was coincident with a low density (similar to 10 cm(-3)) period and a similar to 5 keV ion conic. Strong low frequency waves and the lack of any downward motion in the simultaneously observed ion conic suggest a strong element of wave acceleration, while electric field and ion loss cone measurements provide limited evidence of potential acceleration to a fraction of the observed energies.

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

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

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