Quasiperiodic behavior of electrons in the ionosphere

Summary form only given, as follows. Electrons traveling in the ionosphere-inner magnetosphere region can become trapped by the quasi-static electric field at auroral altitudes (5,000-12,000 km) and magnetic mirroring at ionospheric heights. A model is developed to simulate electron trajectories influenced by electric field fluctuations, and a dynamical analysis is performed on the resulting orbits. For fluctuations in the frequency range of 1 Hz, a bounce resonance may develop between electrons with typical travel times of few seconds. These electrons can remained trapped indefinitely, resulting in distinct quasiperiodic behavior. A stroboscopic map (a Poincare map with time as a state variable of the system) is applied, and the results form a 2-Torus in velocity phase space. The paper includes discussions on the acceleration process, the dynamical analysis, behavior in phase space, physical implications of the system, and a statistical summary of electron orbits.