VLF waves in the magnetosphere

The study of VLF waves at ground based stations is an important source of information on particles trapped in the magnetosphere. By various techniques it is also possible to measure plasma densities, electric fields and monitor energetic particle injection. By studying the propagation of waves beneath the ionosphere it is possible to study particle precipitation from the magnetosphere. In this paper we summarise some of the techniques and results obtained from the study of VLF waves at the South African research station in Antarctica.     

Hydrogen from Jupiter's atmosphere in the Jovian magnetosphere

The passage of Ulysses through Jupiter's magnetosphere presents a new opportunity to investigate the contribution to the Jovian magnetosphere of ions of atmospheric origin. A determination of the magnetospheric H⁺/He²⁺ flux ratio allows an estimate of the relative abundance of ionospheric material in the Jovian magnetosphere. We find that the H⁺/He²⁺ flux ratio, measured in the energy/charge range between 0.65 and 60 keV/e, steadily increases from a solar wind level of 25 at the magnetopause to a value of 700 at the point of closest approach, and then steadily decreases whilst approaching the magnetopause on the outbound path. We conclude from this that: (1) there is a significant solar wind component throughout the outer and middle magnetosphere; and (2) a significant fraction of the protons in the middle magnetosphere are of nonsolar origin.     

VLF two-wave-electron interactions in the magnetosphere

The mutual influence between two whistler mode waves, through cyclotron resonant interaction of each wave with the same set of energetic electrons, is analysed both theoretically and by computer simulations ; this two-wave interaction mechanism seems to be an important process in understanding recently observed phenomena in Siple Station VLF multi-wave injection experiments. A criterion is established to estimate the threshold for the critical frequency spacing (for given wave amplitudes) for a significant mutual interaction between two monochromatic waves to occur. This criterion is based on the overlap of coherence bandwidths associated with the trapping domains of each wave and it takes into account the geomagnetospheric medium inhomogeneity. The effects of a perturbing second wave on electrons trapped by a first wave is discussed, considering the general situation of varying-frequency waves, and a simulation model is used to track the motion of test-electrons in the two-waves field. Conditions leading to detrapping and subsequent trapping by the second wave of previously first-wave trapped electrons are analysed and suggest the possibility of this phenomenon to play an important role in frequency entrainment and energy exchange between two waves.     

Absorption of very low frequency (VLF) waves in the whistler mode propagation in Jovian ionosphere

Making use of currently available theory of wave absorption, an attempt has been made to estimate the refractive indices and absorption coefficients for different wave frequencies during day and night times in the Jovian ionosphere. The results obtained have striking similarity with the corresponding results in the case of the Earth's ionosphere. It is concluded that VLF signals can be observed more easily during night times.     

Propagation of VLF emissions in the magnetosphere and the ionosphere

Comparison of the low altitude polar orbiting Injun 5 Satellite data with the ground VLF data has revealed that there is a definite scarcity of VLF/ELF emissions at the ground level compared with the extent to which they are present at or above the auroral altitudes. Reasons for this have been investigated by performing ray path computations for whistler mode VLF propagation in an inhomogeneous and anisotropic medium, such as the magnetosphere and the ionosphere. Based on wave normal computations in the lower ionosphere, it has been found that many of the near-auroral zone VLF/ELF events are frequently either reflected from, or heavily attenuated in, the lower ionosphere. Besides collisional loss, severe attenuation of VLF signals in the lower ionosphere is also caused by the divergence of ray paths from the vertical (spatial attenuation). Cone of wave normal angles for the wave, within which VLF/ ELF signals are permitted to reach the ground, has been established. Wave normals lying outside this transmission cone are reflected from the lower ionosphere and do not find exit to the Earth-ionosphere cavity. Computations for VLF signals produced at auroral zone distances in the equatorial plane of the magnetosphere indicates that these signals are more or less trapped in the magnetosphere at altitudes > 1R_E.     

Linear and nonlinear cyclotron instability and VLF emissions in the magnetosphere

A theoretical study is made of the whistler mode cyclotron instability both in linear and nonlinear regimes in conjunction with the generation of VLF emissions in the magnetosphere. For the nonlinear treatment, a well-established quasilinear method is used and some physical processes of the cyclotron instability viz. energy conservation, mechanism of instability and frequency change of the excited emissions are clarified. The results are applied to some types of the triggered VLF emissions; whistler triggered emissions and artificially stimulated emissions (ASE). It is found that whistler triggered emissions excited around the upper cutoff frequencies of whistlers may be explained by the whistler mode cyclotron instability by a model distribution function inferred from satellite data. In order to see a nonlinear evolution of the whistler mode cyclotron instability, computer simulations were carried out and it is shown that the change of frequency with time of whistler triggered emissions as well as characteristics of ASE are well explained by resonant nonlinear behaviour of whistler mode cyclotron instability considered in the present paper.     

VLF input impedance of a loop antenna embedded in the magnetosphere

An analysis is made to calculate input impedance of a loop antenna for radiation of the VLF whistler mode in the magnetosphere. The magnetosphere is assumed to be represented by a cold, uniform and collisionless magnetoplasma medium. Assuming a uniform current distribution of a circular loop, oriented at an arbitrary angle with respect to the Earth's magnetic field line, several closed-form expressions for the loop impedance have been derived. It is found that the loop input reactance is in substantial agreement with the self-inductance of a loop in free space and that the radiation resistance for a small loop can be as large as ～10 ² Ω. It is also found that a second order quasi-static theory is quite valid for determining the input impedance for small loops radiating VLF whistlers in the magnetosphere.     

Nonlinear hydrodynamic VLF wave scattering in the earth's magnetosphere

The paper deals with a nonlinear instability of quasi-monochromatic VLF signals and whistlers in the Earth's magnetosphere due to induced scattering. The instability growth rates and the threshold values of the signal amplitude at which the instability occurs have been found. The instability is shown to be more effectively excited when the initial transverse VLF wave transforms into plasma oscillations at the lower hybrid resonance (LHR) frequency and may be responsible for the phenomena such as trigger LHR emission, the amplitude and phase modulation of artificial VLF signals and be the origin of some types of discrete VLF signals.     

Non-linear effects of VLF noise generation by electron beams in the polar magnetosphere

A theory of VLF noise excitation by electron beams in the polar magnetosphere is proposed. Two modes of excited oscillations are considered: waves with frequencies in the vicinity of the lower hybrid resonance (LHR) from about 50 to 1000 kHz and whistler-mode waves in the frequency range of several kHz.The spectral distribution and the level of turbulent noise, having been excited by means of two counterstreaming electron beams, are deduced in magnetized plasma at the LHR frequency. It is also shown that the growth of noise up to the quasistationary level oscillates with time. Energy density of oscillations at the LHR frequency in the region of the dayside polar cusp agrees with the experimental data.The processes of whistler excitation by electron beams are discussed. The growth rate of excitation of whistler-mode by electrostatic oscillations at the LHR frequency is calculated.     

Nonlinear frequency shift and self-modulation of the quasi- monochromatic whistlers in the inhomogeneous plasma (magnetosphere)

The nonlinear frequency shift arising from the interaction of the quasimono- chromatic whistler-mode wave with resonant particles in an inhomogeneous plasma is derived. The modulational instability caused by this shift is investigated. The results are applied to the propagation of long-duration VLF whistler-mode signals along the magnetic field in the magnetosphere. It is shown that the modulational instability of these waves in the equatorial region leads to pulsations very similar to those observed experimentally     

The South America VLF NETwork (SAVNET)

In this paper we present the South America VLF NETwork (SAVNET), a new observing facility at very low frequencies. It has been recently installed at different locations spread over Latin America, in Brazil, Peru and Argentina. It consists of a network of seven Very Low Frequency (VLF) receivers with the main scientific objective of monitoring the solar activity on short (minutes to hours) and long (years) time scales. Other objectives include a better understanding of the spatial structure of the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly, the study of atmospheric phenomena and the search for genuine seismic-electromagnetic effects. After discussing the scientific goals, the details of the installation are presented as well as the first results recently obtained.     

Very low mass stars in binaries: a theoretical look

We have undertaken a series of hydrodynamic + N ‐body simulations in order to explore the binary properties of young stars. We find that multiple stars are a natural outcome of collapsing turbulent flows, with a high incidence of N > 2 multiples, specially among the higher mass objects. We find a positive correlation of multiplicity with primary mass and a companion frequency that decreases with age, during the first few Myr after formation. Binary brown dwarfs are rarely formed, in conflict with observations. Brown dwarfs as companions are predominantly found orbiting binaries or triples at large separations. The paucity of ultra low mass and low mass ratio binaries has been investigated further, and we tentatively conclude that their formation is intricately related to an appropriate selection of initial conditions and an accurate modelling of disc accretion and evolution. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

甚大面积伽马射线空间望远镜计划

高能伽马射线探测是研究极端天体物理的主要途径之一.空间高能伽马射线探测具有覆盖波段宽、时间连续性好、能量分辨率高等突出优势.在成功研发并运行我国首颗天文卫星—“悟空”号(DArk Matter Particle Explorer, DAMPE)的基础上,紫金山天文台联合国内的多家单位提议研制甚大面积伽马射线空间望远镜(Very Large Area gamma-ray Space Telescope, VLAST),该望远镜在GeV–TeV能段接受度高达10 m2·sr,并具有强的MeV–GeV波段探测能力,其综合性能预期比费米卫星的大面积伽马望远镜(Fermi-LAT (Large Area Telescope))提升10倍之上.重点介绍了VLAST的主要科学目标,探测器的初步配置及预期性能指标.     

Conjugate measurements of VLF transmitter signals at middle latitude (L = 1.93)

Whistler-mode signals were measured at the conjugate point (L = 1.93) in South Australia of the VLF transmitter in Eastern U.S.S.R. The intensity of whistler-mode signals increased usually at sunset and occasionally at sunrise, and was moderate during night-time. By means of the calculation of the wave attenuation in the lower ionosphere, the result may be interpreted in terms of different mechanisms of propagation in the magnetosphere and transmission out of the ionosphere: spatially coherent propagation in a field-aligned duct and transmission out of the duet onto the ground at sunset and sunrise; and spatially incoherent propagation and transmission at night. A high correlation was found between the occurrence probability of the 14.881 kHz whistler-mode signals and the occurrence number of whistlers, which may suggest that the occurrence of whistlers is controlled predominantly by propagation conditions.     

Permanent flare activity in the magnetosphere during periods of low magnetic activity in the auroral zone

Auroral, magnetic variation and pulsation data from the dense network in the nearmidnight portion of the auroral zone are used together with the measurements of suprathermal particles and electromagnetic fields by the IMP-8 and ISEE-1 spacecraft within the plasma sheet to study the characteristics of activity during two magnetically quiet periods on 3 March 1976 and 23 March 1979. Contrary to existing beliefs, we found clear signatures of numerous (5–10 events per hour) transient events, characterized by plasma flows, energetic particle bursts and E−B field variations. A close association of these events in the plasma sheet with the local auroral flares (LAFs) in the conjugate sector of the auroral zone is established for many events. We conclude that LAF (local auroral arc activation with associated Pi pulsations but extremely weak magnetic bays) have the same plasma sheet manifestations (apparently, the same physics) as the individual substorm intensifications during strong substorm expansion events, which differ from the studied quiet periods mainly by the strength and number of these intensifications. These transient phenomena seem to play an important role in the energetics of the quiet time magnetotail.     

Very small dust particles (VSDP's) in comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake)

X-ray fluxes observed from comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) are readily explained in terms of scattering by carbonaceous particles with radii of several tens of Angstroms. A few tenths of a megatonne of such particles appear to have been present in the cometary coma on March 26–28 1996.     

Very Small Dust Particles (VSDP's) in Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake)

X-ray fluxes observed from comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) are readily explained in terms of scattering by carbonaceous particles with radii of several tens of Angstroms. A few tenths of a megatonne of such particles appear to have been present in the cometary coma on March 26–28, 1996. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Discrete VLF emissions (7–9 kHz) displaying unusual banded and periodic structure

Rising frequency VLF emissions having unusually high frequency and exhibiting banded structure were recorded between 14.55 and 15.30 U.T. on 28 June 1972 by the VLF goniometer receiver at Halley, Antarctica. The risers were split into two frequency groups, one with frequencies in the range 6.0–7.7 kHz and the other with frequencies between 7.8 and 9.4 kHz, the former being more numerous. The gap between the lower and upper frequency risers is superficially similar to, though at a higher frequency than, the missing bands in emissions observed by satellites. However, it is found to be unlikely that the risers received at Halley can be explained by any of the mechanisms advanced to explain the banded satellite-observed emissions. Several other explanations are considered and it is shown that the most likely is partial suppression by magnetospheric line radiation propagating in the same duct.The risers are interpreted as being generated via cyclotron resonance with counterstreaming electrons. A computer program based on Helliwell's (1967) phenomenological theory is used to determine the generation region and electron energies involved.Both frequency groups of risers display a 4 min periodicity in occurrence. It is shown that this time period is consistent with that required to replenish the flux of resonant electrons, by eastwards drift into the duct, after the emissions have been quenched due to the reduction of the flux by pitch-angle diffusion into the loss cone.     

Very low probability of detection of TiH2 molecule in a cosmic object

In the year 1979, identification of TiH and TiO in the atmosphere of cool M-type stars has been historical, as the Titanium was first time discovered in a cosmic object. Third Titanium-bearing molecule, TiO₂, also is identified in the red supergiant VY CMa. Thus, there is a natural question about the detection of TiH₂ molecule, as the cosmic abundance of hydrogen is approximately 2000 times larger than that of the oxygen. The large abundance of H as compared to O may not suffice as, for example, the probability of formation of CO is much larger than that of CH. Without going into the details of Chemistry, we have discussed that the probability of detection of TiH₂ in a cosmic object is very low, though it has a large electric dipole moment.