Trapping and amplification of unguided mode EMIC waves in the radiation belt
Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves can cause the scattering loss of the relativistic electrons in the earth's radiation belt. They can be classified into the guided mode and the unguided mode, according to waves propagation behavior. The guided mode waves have been widely investigated in the radiation belt, but the observation of the unguided mode waves have not been expected. Based on the observations of Van Allen Probes, we demonstrate for the first time the existence of the intense unguided mode EMIC waves. The reflection interface formed by the spatial locations of local helium cutoff frequencies can be nearly parallel to the equatorial plane when the proton abundance ratio decreases sharply with L-shell. This structure combined with the anisotropic hot protons can lead to the trapping and significant amplification of the unguided mode waves. These results may help to understand the nature of EMIC waves in the radiation belt.
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Supplementary Information for Trapping and amplification of unguided mode EMIC waves in the radiation belt
Posted 21 Jan, 2021
Trapping and amplification of unguided mode EMIC waves in the radiation belt
Posted 21 Jan, 2021
Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves can cause the scattering loss of the relativistic electrons in the earth's radiation belt. They can be classified into the guided mode and the unguided mode, according to waves propagation behavior. The guided mode waves have been widely investigated in the radiation belt, but the observation of the unguided mode waves have not been expected. Based on the observations of Van Allen Probes, we demonstrate for the first time the existence of the intense unguided mode EMIC waves. The reflection interface formed by the spatial locations of local helium cutoff frequencies can be nearly parallel to the equatorial plane when the proton abundance ratio decreases sharply with L-shell. This structure combined with the anisotropic hot protons can lead to the trapping and significant amplification of the unguided mode waves. These results may help to understand the nature of EMIC waves in the radiation belt.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Due to technical limitations, full-text HTML conversion of this manuscript could not be completed. However, the manuscript can be downloaded and accessed as a PDF.