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AGU: Journal of Geophysical Research, Space Physics

 

Keywords

  • wave-particle interactions
  • quasi-linear theory
  • chorus waves
  • diffusion coefficients

Index Terms

  • Magnetospheric Physics: Radiation belts
  • Magnetospheric Physics: Energetic particles: trapped
  • Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosphere: inner
  • Space Plasma Physics: Wave/particle interactions
  • Radio Science: Magnetospheric physics
Abstract
Cited By (28)
 

Abstract

Evaluation of quasi-linear diffusion coefficients for whistler mode waves in a plasma with arbitrary density ratio

J. M. Albert

Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, USA

Techniques are presented for efficiently evaluating quasi-linear diffusion coefficients for whistler mode waves propagating according to the full cold plasma index of refraction. In particular, the density ratio ω pe e can be small, which favors energy diffusion. This generalizes an approach, previously used for high-density hiss and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves, of identifying (and omitting) ranges of wavenormal angle θ that are incompatible with cyclotron resonant frequencies ω occurring between sharp cutoffs of the modeled wave frequency spectrum. This requires a detailed analysis of the maximum and minimum values of the refractive index as a function of ω and θ, as has previously been performed in the high-density approximation. Sample calculations show the effect of low-density ratio on the pitch angle and energy diffusion coefficients modeling the effect of chorus waves on radiation belt electrons. The high-density approximation turns out to be quite robust, especially when the upper frequency cutoff is small compared with Ω e . The techniques greatly reduce the amount of computation needed for a sample calculation, while taking into account all resonant harmonic numbers n up to ±∞.

Received 15 October 2004; accepted 22 December 2004; published 22 March 2005.

Citation: Albert, J. M. (2005), Evaluation of quasi-linear diffusion coefficients for whistler mode waves in a plasma with arbitrary density ratio, J. Geophys. Res., 110, A03218, doi:10.1029/2004JA010844.

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