A Parameter Study of Excitation of Magnetosonic Waves in the Inner Magnetosphere

Abstract:

Magnetosonic waves, propagation nearly perpendicular to the background magnetic field, at frequencies from the proton cyclotron frequency to the low hybrid frequency, are frequently observed in the vicinity of the geomagnetic equator in the region between L = 2 to 8. We investigate the question when the instability driven by proton ring distribution will generate continuous spectrum magnetosonic waves. The effects of light velocity, proton-to-electron mass, ring distribution proton density, and ring distribution proton velocity on the magnetosonic wave instability have been studied.