Propagation properties of quasi-periodic VLF emissions observed by the DEMETER spacecraft

Abstract : Quasiperiodic (QP) emissions are electromagnetic waves in the frequency range of about 0.5–4 kHz observed in the inner magnetosphere that exhibit a periodic time modulation of the wave intensity, with modulation periods from a few seconds up to 10 min. We present results of a detailed wave analysis of nearly 200 events measured by the low-altitude Detection of ElectroMagnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions (DEMETER) spacecraft. Upper frequency range of studied emissions was limited to 1 kHz due to the sampling rate of the analyzed data. It is found that QP emissions propagate nearly field aligned at larger geomagnetic latitudes; they become more oblique at midlatitudes and eventually perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field at the geomagnetic equator and thus perpendicular to the Earth's surface, allowing their downward propagation through the ionosphere. The observed propagation pattern is consistent with the source of emissions located in the equatorial region at larger radial distances.