Energy dissipation via electron energization in standing shear Alfven waves

A two-dimensional hybrid magnetohydrodynamic-kinetic electron model in dipolar coordinates is used to study the case of a fundamental mode toroidal field line resonance (FLR) centered on an L=10 closed dipolar magnetic field line. The model is initialized via a perturbation of the azimuthal shear Alfven velocity so that only upward field aligned currents (corresponding to downwelling electrons) are present at the ionospheric boundaries during the first half wave period. It is found that the acceleration of the electrons to carry the field aligned currents can be a significant sink of Alfven wave energy depending on the width of the flux tube. For a FLR with an equatorial perpendicular wavelength of 0.25 R-E about 20% of the wave energy is dissipated over a half cycle. This varies inversely with the width of the flux tube increasing to 40% by a width of 0.15 R-E, which, unless the system is driven, can completely damp the resonance in about 2-3 cycles. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.