High Latitude Electromagnetic Plasma Wave Emissions

  • Donald A. Gurnett
Chapter
Part of the Nobel Foundation Symposia Published by Plenum book series (NOFS, volume 54)

Abstract

It has been known for many years that several types of electromagnetic plasma wave emissions are generated in the Earth’s polar regions in association with auroras. As long ago as 1933, Burton and Boardman (1933) detected bursts of very-low-frequency (VLF) “static” at high latitudes that occurred simultaneously with flashes of auroral light. Later a variety of investigations using ground VLF radio receivers at high latitudes firmly established that broadband bursts of radio noise are produced in the auroral regions during periods of enhanced auroral activity (Ellis, 1957; Martin et al., 1960; Jorgensen and Ungstrup, 1962; Harang and Larsen, 1964). This type of VLF radio emission came to be known as “auroral hiss,” following the classification scheme of Helliwell (1965). Because of the low frequencies involved, it was realized relatively early that the auroral hiss must be propagating in the whistler mode. The first satellite investigation of auroral hiss was reported by Gurnett (1966) who showed that auroral hiss is closely correlated with intense fluxes of precipitating auroral electrons. This relationship was subsequently confirmed and refined by a number of low-altitude satellite studies.

Keywords

Radio Emission Auroral Zone Auroral Region Whistler Mode Auroral Electron 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Plenum Press, New York 1983

Authors and Affiliations

  • Donald A. Gurnett
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Physics and AstronomyThe University of IowaIowa CityUSA

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