Range finding of Alfvén oscillations and direction finding of ion-cyclotron waves by using the ground-based ULF finder

Abstract

A new approach to the problem of direction and distance finding of magnetospheric ULF oscillations is described. It is based on additional information about the structure of geoelectromagnetic field at the Earth's surface which is contained in the known relations of the theory of magnetovariation and magnetotelluric sounding. This allows us to widen the range of diagnostic tools by using observations of Alfvén oscillations in the Pc 3–5 frequency band and the ion-cyclotron waves in the Pc 1 frequency band. Preliminary results of the remote sensing of the magnetosphere at low-latitudes using the MHD ranger technique are presented. The prospects for remote sensing of the plasmapause position are discussed.