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Ann. Geophys., 21, 2043-2057, 2003
www.ann-geophys.net/21/2043/2003/
© European Geosciences Union 2003
Ion cyclotron waves in the Earth’s magnetotail during CASSINI’s Earth swing-by
A. T. Bogdanov1, K.-H. Glassmeier1, G. Musmann1, M. K. Dougherty2, S. Kellock2, P. Slootweg2, and B. Tsurutani3
1Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstrasse 3, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
2Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, UK
3Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA
Abstract. The properties of low
frequency magnetotail waves observed during CASSINI’s Earth swing-by are
examined. A maximum in the distribution of the waves about half the proton
cyclotron frequency and a peak at linear polarisation are found and their
implications are analysed in detail. Data on the fluid plasma velocity for the
observation interval are not available and thus no unique conclusions about
Doppler shift influence on the properties of the waves can be made. This
determines the need to analyse different hypotheses in order to understand the
origin of the waves. The plausibility of competing interpretations, such as
off-resonance proton cyclotron waves and bi-ion cyclotron waves at the
gyrofrequency of a heavy ion component of the magneto-tail plasma in the form of He ++ ions of solar wind origin is questioned.
Key words. Space plasma physics (waves and
instabilities) – Magnetospheric physics (plasma waves and instabilities;
magnetotail)
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