LABORATORY SIMULATION OF ION ACCELERATION MECHANISMS IN THE SUPRAURORAL REGION

We report the results of a series of laboratory experiments intended to simulate particular aspects of ion acceleration processes that have been observed or are believed to occur in the suprauroral region of the Earth's magnetosphere. Beam-generated lower hybrid waves (LHW) and current-driven electrostatic ion cyclotron waves (EICW) have both been proposed as responsible for low-altitude perpendicular ion acceleration, leading to the formation of ion conics at higher altitudes (after mirroring in the geomagnetic field).; We model, by experiments in the laboratory, the mechanisms generating the ion velocity distributions and radio frequency waves observed in the suprauroral region. Experiments were performed in two linear plasma devices: the UCI Q-machine and UCI Magnetic Mirror. RF waves were launched by antennas or excited by electron currents or beams. Laser induced fluorescence (LIF) provided a sensitive non-perturbing diagnostic for ion velocity distributions. RF and Langmuir probes were used for electrical measurements.; Antenna launched LHW produced considerable perpendicular ion heating, generating 'tail' formation followed by a bulk 'maxwellian' heating. Both broadband and narrowband LHW produced similar effects. Frequency spectra displayed multiple harmonics of the input antenna signal and also signals of lower frequency, the latter identified as due to parametric decay.; Operating the UCI Magnetic Mirror as a double plasma device, a low energy, low density electron beam was shown to generate very broadband noise above the LH resonance frequency. Two-probe correlation studies indicated the existence of a wide band of k values as well. The noise has been tentatively identified as beam-generated LHW.; In order to study the formation of ion conics, a new diagnostic method making use of LIF and computed tomography was developed. A description is given of this new technique, which we call optical tomography. Using this approach, we successfully observed the generation of ion conics in the laboratory, in the presence of current-driven EICW. Optical tomography yielded ion velocity distributions as simultaneous functions of both v {dollar}sbparallel{dollar} and v {dollar}sbperp{dollar}. It is anticipated that this new diagnostic will find future application in other plasma experiments.