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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Emission Spectroscopic Boundary Layer Investigation during Ablative Material Testing in Plasmatron

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Published on: June 9, 2016

The turbulent Alfvénic aurora.

C C Chaston¹, C Salem, J W Bonnell

¹Space Science Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.

Physical Review Letters

|June 4, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The Alfvénic aurora is powered by turbulent cascades transferring energy from large to small scales, accelerating electrons near Earth. These energy dissipation and particle acceleration regions are localized within larger magnetic structures.

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Area of Science:

Space Physics
Plasma Physics
Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)

Background:

The Alfvénic aurora is a phenomenon observed in Earth's magnetosphere.
The precise mechanisms powering the aurora, particularly electron acceleration, are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of turbulent cascades in powering the Alfvénic aurora.
To determine if energy transport via Alfvén waves can explain observed electron acceleration.

Main Methods:

Analysis of observational data related to Alfvénic aurora.
Investigating turbulent cascade processes from large magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) scales to small Alfvén wave scales.

Main Results:

A turbulent cascade transverse to the geomagnetic field powers the Alfvénic aurora.
Energy transport through this cascade is sufficient to accelerate electrons from near-Earth space.
Regions of Alfvén wave dissipation and particle acceleration are localized and intermittent.

Conclusions:

Turbulent cascade processes are a key mechanism for Alfvénic aurora formation.
Localized dissipation and acceleration within MHD structures explain observed auroral features.