Pitch-angle scattering of inner magnetospheric electrons caused by ECH
waves obtained with the Arase satellite
Abstract
Electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) waves are generally
excited in the magnetic equator region, in the midnight and the morning
sectors during geomagnetically active conditions, and cause the pitch
angle scattering by cyclotron resonance. The scattered electrons
precipitate into the Earth’s atmosphere and cause auroral emission.
However, there is no observational evidence that ECH waves actually
scatter electrons into the loss cone in the magnetosphere. In this
study, from simultaneous wave and particle observation data obtained by
the Arase satellite equipped with a high-pitch angular resolution
electron analyzer, we present evidence that the ECH wave intensity near
the magnetic equator is correlated with an electron flux inside the loss
cone with energy of about 5 keV. The simulation suggests that this
electron flux contributes to auroral emission at 557.7 nm with intensity
of about 200 R.