Physics and Astronomy Space Plasma Seminar
Dr. Jason Bortnick, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, UCLA
Title: "First Detection of Resonant Electron Pitch Angle Scattering by Whistler Waves in a Laboratory Plasma"
Abstract: Resonant interactions between energetic electrons and whistler mode waves play an essential role in controlling the dynamic variability of the Earth’s natural radiation belts, which is a topic of extreme interest at the moment. Although the theory describing resonant wave-particle interactions has been present for several decades, it has not been hitherto tested in a controlled laboratory setting. In this talk, I will describe the first laboratory experiment to directly detect resonant pitch angle scattering of energetic (∼keV) electrons due to whistler mode waves, which was conducted in UCLA's Large Plasma Device. I will first review the basic ideas behind wave-particle resonant interactions, and show that the whistler mode wave deflects energetic electrons at precisely the predicted resonant energy, and discuss the effect of varying both the maximum beam energy, and the wave frequency.