LASP Magnetosphere Seminars

Abstract

The Earth’s magnetosphere comprises different particle populations with widely different energies that coexist and interact with a variety of waves. It is commonly referred to as a ‘system of systems’ to acknowledge its complex behavior that could not be understood by analyzing the individual components alone. Unfortunately, the low-energy (cold, <100 eV energy) particle populations are very poorly understood due to the difficulty of their measurements. This holds back magnetospheric research, particularly systems level understanding.

In this talk, I will begin with a brief introduction that highlights the role of the cold particle populations. I will touch upon the problems with their measurements and how these problems could be overcome. I will then focus on the impact of cold electrons on whistler waves, including new results that show how whistler waves can damp via drift instabilities and heat the cold electrons. This somewhat surprising result highlights new ways for different magnetospheric particle populations to couple via waves.