The role of wave-particle interactions in cold and warm plasma heating

Cold plasma originating from the ionosphere is a highly influential component of the magnetosphere, dominating its mass. It is typically treated as a passive background represented as an empirical density in models of the ring current, outer radiation belt, and wave propagation. While it is well est...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: M. E. Usanova, G. L. Delzanno, N. Maruyama
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2025.1573386/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Cold plasma originating from the ionosphere is a highly influential component of the magnetosphere, dominating its mass. It is typically treated as a passive background represented as an empirical density in models of the ring current, outer radiation belt, and wave propagation. While it is well established that cold plasma density plays a critical role in controlling wave properties - such as amplitude and wave vector - increasing theoretical and observational evidence suggests that cold plasma populations may actively couple with waves, exchanging energy through processes that are not yet fully understood. Importantly, these processes can energize cold plasma, gradually transforming it into warm and eventually hot plasma. This mini-review explores the role of wave-particle interactions in cold and warm plasma heating, highlighting their significance in facilitating coupling between different plasma populations in Earth’s magnetosphere.
ISSN:2296-987X