Propagation of trans-equatorial deuteron whistlers in the low latitude topside ionosphere

Abstract The high latitude limit of trans-equatorial deuteron whistlers is found to occur at latitudes where B m = B 2 , in which B is the local magnetic field at the satellite and B m is the minimum magnetic field on the field line through the satellite. The high latitude limit of trans-equatorial proton whistlers, often extends to the latitude where B m = B 4 in the autumn and winter. Trans-equatorial deuteron whistlers have a constant time interval for an echo train. The damping rate of the cyclotron resonant interaction with rare deuteron is large enough to generate deuteron whistlers. Ray tracing results for non-ducted propagation of trans-equatorial deuteron whistlers show that rays are guided by the geomagnetic field within one degree in invariant latitude for several bounces between the two hemispheres. Although the non-ducted propagation mode is L -mode, waves are reflected in the R mode at a LHR frequency after frequency between the deuteron and helium gyrofrequency after the mode changes at the cross-over frequency.