Electron acceleration by Langmuir turbulence in ionospheric heating

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the generation of parametric decay instability, Langmuir turbulence formation, and electron acceleration in ionospheric heating via a two-fluid model using the Fokker–Planck equation and Vlasov–Poisson system simulations. The simulation results of both the magnetofluid model and the kinetic model demonstrate the dynamics of electron acceleration. Further, the results of the Vlasov–Poisson simulations suggest the formation of electron holes in phase space at the same spatial scale as the Langmuir wave, which are shown to be related to electron acceleration. In addition, electron acceleration is enhanced through the extension of the wavenumber spectrum caused by strong Langmuir turbulence, leading to more electron holes in phase space.

Keywords

• electron acceleration
• langmuir turbulence
• electron holes
• parametric decay instability