Relativistic Electron Microbursts as High Energy Tail of Pulsating
Aurora Electrons
Abstract
In this study, by simulating the wave-particle interactions, we show
that sub-relativistic/relativistic electron microbursts form the
high-energy tail of pulsating aurora (PsA). Whistler-mode chorus waves
that propagate along the magnetic field lines at high latitudes cause
precipitation bursts of electrons with a wide energy range from a few
keV (PsA) to several MeV (relativistic microbursts). The rising tone
elements of chorus waves cause individual microbursts of
sub-relativistic/relativistic electrons and the internal modulation of
PsA with a frequency of a few Hz. The chorus bursts for a few seconds
cause the microburst trains of sub-relativistic/relativistic electrons
and the main pulsations of PsA. Our simulation studies demonstrate that
both PsA and relativistic electron microbursts originate simultaneously
from pitch angle scattering by chorus wave-particle interactions.