Observations on GEOS-1 of whistler mode turbulence generated by a ground-based VLF transmitter

T. Neubert (1) , François Lefeuvre (2) , Michel Parrot (2) , N. Cornilleau-Wehrlin (3)

1 DSRI - Danish Space Research Institute
2 LPCE - Laboratoire de physique et chimie de l'environnement
3 CRPE - Centre de recherches en physique de l'environnement terrestre et planétaire

Signals launched by the NLK Jim Creektransmitter in Alaska on 18.60 and 18.65 kHz have been observed on GEOS-1. Data for one pass over Alaska on June 11, 1977, are presented here. The peak amplitude of the signals is ~5 pT (0.6 mV/m), which is received when the satellite is close to exact conjugacy at 7500 km altitude. While the weaker signals received at some distance from conjugacy behave as expected from linear theory, the stronger signals received closer to conjugacy have features which indicate that some non-linear process is active. These features are: 1) a turbulent electric frequency spectrum 2) an increased electrostatic character of the waves. The threshold field amplitude of the supposed (but unidentified) non-linear interaction is ~1 pT. Neubert et al.' Observation of Whistler Mode Turbulence 0.52 to 0.60 s have been analyzed with a 23 Hz frequency resolution. This makes it impossible to discriminate between the two emitted frequencies. Since analysis with a better frequency resolution gives a poorer signal to noise ratio, it seems safer to assume that the waves on the

Domaines: Planète et Univers [physics]

T. Neubert, François Lefeuvre, Michel Parrot, N. Cornilleau-Wehrlin. Observations on GEOS-1 of whistler mode turbulence generated by a ground-based VLF transmitter. Geophysical Research Letters, 1983, 10 (8), pp.623-626. ⟨10.1029/GL010i008p00623⟩. ⟨insu-03206518⟩