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The dawn of chorus in the cacophony


Sept. 27, 2013, 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Geology 6704

Presented By:
Jacob Bortnik
UCLA, New Jersey Institute of Technology

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"The dawn of chorus in the cacophony: an update on its manifold effects, open problems, and opportunities" Whistler-mode chorus waves were first reported in the early 1950’s and so-named due to the resemblance of their sound to a ‘rookery of birds at dawn’, when played through a loudspeaker. In the ensuing decades, as better observations and more accurate theory began to emerge, a coherent and fascinating picture began to emerge of chorus playing a key role in the dynamics of the inner magnetosphere. In this talk, the history of chorus-related research will be briefly covered, followed by a discussion of its multifaceted roles: as the origin of plasmaspheric hiss, as the driver of the pulsating aurora and its utility in observational field-line mapping. Most notably and of particular current relevance due to the recent launch of NASA’s Van Allen Probes, we’ll discuss the role of chorus in controlling the dynamical variability of the high energy electron population that encircles the Earth, known as the radiation belts.