Ponderomotive Forces of Alfven Waves in the Earth’s Magnetosphere

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the 80th anniversary of the discovery of Alfven waves, which play an important role in physics, radiophysics, astrophysics, and Earth physics. The emphasis is on the ponderomotive redistribution of plasma in the Earth’s magnetosphere under the action of Alfven and ion-cyclotron waves. At relatively small distances from the Earth, the ponderomotive force is buoyant, i.e., is directed upwards, regardless of whether an Alfven wave propagates towards the Earth or away from it. In the near-equatorial zone of the central regions of magnetosphere, waves in the Pc 1 range push the plasma to the minimum of geomagnetic field, so that a maximum of plasma density arises on the equator at sufficiently high wave intensity. A bifurcation occurs at the magnetosphere’s periphery, and the maximum is split into two maxima, the distance between which increases while moving away from the Earth. The polar wind, acceleration of heavy ions, and fictitious nonlinearity of the surface impedance of the Earth’s crust are also briefly discussed.