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Crossing a narrow-in-altitude turbulent auroral acceleration region
1Centre d’ Étude des Environnements Terrestre et Planétaires, CNRS, 4 av. de Neptune, F-94107 St. Maur des Fossés, France
2Centre for Interdisciplinary Plasma Science, Max-Planck-Institute for extraterrestrial Physics, P.O.Box 1312, D-85741 Garching, Germany.
3Max-Planck-Institute for extraterrestrial Physics, P.O.Box 1312, D-85741 Garching, Germany
*Also at Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
Abstract. We report on the in situ identification of a narrow electrostatic acceleration layer (electrostatic shock) containing intense plasma turbulence in the upward current region, and its effect on auroral particles. Wave turbulence recorded in the center of the layer differs in character from that recorded above and beneath. It is concluded that the shock is sustained by different nonlinear waves which, at each level, act on the particles in such a way to produce a net upward directed electric field. The main power is in the ion acoustic range. We point out that anomalous resistivities are incapable of locally generating the observed parallel potential drop.
Full Article (PDF, 1047 KB)
Citation: Pottelette, R., Treumann, R. A., and Georgescu, E.: Crossing a narrow-in-altitude turbulent auroral acceleration region, Nonlin. Processes Geophys., 11, 197-204, 2004. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager
