Barbara Thompson's 1995 AGU Spring Meeting Poster

Electron effects and commonly observed distributions

Figure 14 in the poster is an example of an electron distribution associated with auroral processes, generated by the numerical model of Alfven wave acceleration. These distributions consist of a loss cone distribution with highly energetic field-aligned particles around the edge of the loss cone.
Additionally, field-aligned bursts at lower altitudes, corresponding to earthward-travelling electrons, can show temporal variations with frequencies on the order of observed Alfven wave frequencies.
It is generally agreed that Alfven waves have the potential to create these highly energetic distributions - the source or generating mechanism of these waves is unclear.

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Other Sections

Alfven waves and auroral systems - simple overview

System properties and physical behavior

Deriving the wave equations

Dielectric treatment of Alfven waves

Wave integration - fluid motion

Electron integration - particle motion

Conserving energy - numerical scheme

Chaotic behavior of system

References - please see poster