Distribution function of precipitating ion beams with velocity dispersion observed near the poleward edge of the nightside auroral oval

Abstract

Using low energy ion data obtained by Akebono satellite, we have calculated distribution functions of velocity‐dispersed ion beams observed at the poleward edge of the auroral electron precipitation region. The calculated distribution functions can well be fitted by one‐dimensional shifted‐Maxwellians, whose bulk energy and temperature are several keV and several hundreds of eV, respectively. The bulk energy and temperature show a positive correlation, which may indicate that when the ions are accelerated to higher energy, they are heated to higher temperature simultaneously. We have also found a relation between the invariant latitude width of the observed ion beams divided by the square root of the temperature and their bulk velocity, which indicates that the source region of the ion beam is compact. These ion beams are obtained with high occurrence probability, suggesting that they are supplied from a steady X‐type neutral line in the earth's magnetotail.