Cyclotron side-band emissions from ring-current electrons

VLF-emissions with subharmonic cyclotron frequency from magnetospheric electrons have been detected by the S³-A satellite (Explorer 45) whose orbit is close to the magnetic equatorial plane where the wave-particle interaction is most efficient. These emissions are observed during the main phase of a geomagnetic storm in the nightside of the magnetosphere outside of the plasmasphere around L = 3–5. The emissions consist essentially of two frequency regimes, one below the equatorial electron gyro-frequency, , and the other above . The emissions below are whistler mode and there is a sharp band of “missing emissions” along . The emissions above are electrostatic mode and the frequency ranges up to . It is concluded that these emissions are generated by the enhanced relativity low energy (1–5 keV) ring current electrons, penetrating into the nightside magnetosphere during the main phase of a magneto storm. Although the high energy (50–350 keV) electrons showed remarkable changes of pitch angle distribution, their associations with VLF-emissions are not so significant as those of low energy electrons.