Electro Acceleration in a Geomagnetic Field Line Resonance
Authors: Peter Damiano and J.R. Johnson
Abstract:
A hybrid MHD kinetic electron model in dipolar coordinates is used to sim-
ulate the upward current region of a geomagnetic Field Line Resonance (FLR)
system for a realistic ambient electron temperatures of a keV. It is found that
mirror force e ects result in potential drops sucient to accelerate electrons
to energies in excess of a keV in support of eld aligned currents on the or-
der of 0.5 µA/m2. The wave energy dissipated in this acceleration would com-
pletely damp an undriven FLR with an equatorial width of 0.5 RE within
two resonance cycles.
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Submitted to: Geophysical Research Letters, (June 2011)
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