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American Geophysical Union, Geophysical Research Letters, 17(43), p. 8859-8866, 2016

DOI: 10.1002/2016gl070404

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Observations of large-amplitude, parallel, electrostatic waves associated with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability by the magnetospheric multiscale mission: KELVIN-HELMHOLTZ ELECTROSTATIC WAVES

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This paper is available in a repository.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

On 8 September 2015, the four Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft encountered a Kelvin-Helmholtz unstable magnetopause near the dusk flank. The spacecraft observed periodic compressed current sheets, between which the plasma was turbulent. We present observations of large-amplitude (up to 100???mV/m) oscillations in the electric field. Because these oscillations are purely parallel to the background magnetic field, electrostatic, and below the ion plasma frequency, they are likely to be ion acoustic-like waves. These waves are observed in a turbulent plasma where multiple particle populations are intermittently mixed, including cold electrons with energies less than 10???eV. Stability analysis suggests a cold electron component is necessary for wave growth.