Abstract
IT is generally accepted that charged particles aligned with the magnetic field, which occur in some forms of auroral precipitation1–4, are collimated within a few thousand kilometres of the Earth's surface, by an acceleration parallel to the geomagnetic field. Static electric fields are thought to provide this acceleration, and various modes of injection of charged particles have been invoked to account for the details of observed energy spectra and angular distributions1–4. A time-varying acceleration of an incident stream of charged particles, provides an alternative explanation.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hoffman, R. A., and Evans, D. S., J. geophys. Res., 73, 6201–6214 (1968).
Bosqued, J. M., Cardona, G., and Reme, H., ibid., 79, 98–104 (1974).
Paschmann, G., Johnson, R. G., Sharp, R. D., and Shelley, E. G., ibid., 77, 6111–6120 (1972).
Whalen, B. A., and McDiarmid, I. B., ibid., 77, 191–202 (1972).
Hones, E. W., Ashbridge, J. R., Bame, S. J., and Singer, S., ibid., 76, 63–87 (1971).
Swann, W. F. G., Phys. Rev., 44, 224–227 (1933).
Walt, M., MacDonald, W. M., and Francis, W. E., Physics of the Magnetosphere, 534–555 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1968).
Reasoner, D. L., and Chappell, C. R., J. geophys. Res., 78, 2176–2186 (1973).
Arnoldy, R. L., and Choy, L. W., ibid., 78, 2187–2200 (1973).
Kaplan, S. A., Pikel'ner, S. B., and Tsytovich, V. N., Comments Astrophys. Space Phys., 4, 71–78 (1972).
Fredericks, R. W., Scarf, F. L., and Bernstein, W., J. geophys. Res., 70, 21–29 (1965).
Sturrock, P. A., Phys. Rev., 141, 186–191 (1966).
Evans, D. S., J. geophys. Res., 79, 2853–2858 (1974).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HALL, D., BRYANT, D. Collimation of auroral particles by time-varying acceleration. Nature 251, 402–403 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/251402a0
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/251402a0
This article is cited by
-
Some current challenges in space plasma physics
Radiophysics and Quantum Electronics (1996)
-
Magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions —near-Earth manifestations of the plasma Universe
Astrophysics and Space Science (1988)
-
Towards a unified theory of discrete auroras
Space Science Reviews (1982)
-
Electrons and positive ions in an auroral arc
Nature (1977)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
