Estimation of electron temperature by VLF waves propagating in directions near the resonance cone
Abstract
A ray tracing computer program for non-ducted whistler mode waves in a warm plasma in the magnetosphere is developed, where electron temperature effects are taken into account. The refractive index is calculated from the warm-plasma approximation and is used in the ray tracing after its accuracy has been checked by comparison with the hot-plasma solution without approximation. The ray paths do not depend appreciably on electron temperature. However, there are regions where the waves are heavily damped by Landau damping. By paying attention to this damping region, the electron temperature can be estimated from a satellite observation of the Doppler shift and damping of a ground-based VLF signal.
- Publication:
-
Planetary and Space Science
- Pub Date:
- September 1977
- DOI:
- 10.1016/0032-0633(77)90040-X
- Bibcode:
- 1977P&SS...25..871H
- Keywords:
-
- Electron Energy;
- Magnetospheric Instability;
- Plasma Temperature;
- Vlf Emission Recorders;
- Whistlers;
- Computerized Simulation;
- Landau Damping;
- Ray Tracing;
- Geophysics