Scattering by chorus waves as the dominant cause of diffuse auroral precipitation

Richard M. Thorne (), Binbin Ni, Xin Tao, Richard B. Horne and Nigel P. Meredith
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Richard M. Thorne: University of California, Los Angeles
Binbin Ni: University of California, Los Angeles
Xin Tao: University of California, Los Angeles
Richard B. Horne: British Antarctic Survey
Nigel P. Meredith: British Antarctic Survey

Nature, 2010, vol. 467, issue 7318, 943-946

Abstract: Chorus waves drive diffuse aurora Earth's diffuse aurora, almost invisible from the ground, was discovered in images from the Isis-2 satellite in 1971 as a broad ring of light around the auroral oval. The diffuse aurora is the main source of energy for the high-latitude night-side upper atmosphere, and for many years there has been controversy over the mechanism causing the scattering loss of plasma-sheet electrons that powers it. Two distinct classes of magnetospheric plasma waves have been suggested: electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic waves, and the more structured whistler-mode 'chorus' waves generated by electrons travelling through Earth's magnetic field. Thorne et al. report an analysis of satellite wave data that reveals that scattering by chorus is the dominant cause of the most intense diffuse auroral precipitation.

Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1038/nature09467

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