Characteristics of AKR sources; A statistical description

Abstract

A description of plasma properties within the sources of the Auroral Kilometric Radiation (AKR) is given. It is based on data collected during ∼50 AKR source crossings in the altitude range between 4000 and 9000 km by the Swedish spacecraft Viking. The following results are obtained. (i) The frequency of the lowest frequency peak of the AKR f peak is found to be very close to f ce , the electron gyrofrequency (( f peak – f ce )/ f ce ≤ 0.08), on the average, (ii) The lower cutoff frequency f LC is on the average at f ce (( f LC – f ce )/ f ce ≃ 0), (iii) in the sources the density is typically less than 1.5 cm −3 , which is of the order of the density of hot electrons and (iv) the source is located within an acceleration region, as evidenced by electrons accelerated above and ions accelerated below.