Standing slow magnetosonic waves in a dipole-like plasmasphere

Abstract A problem of the structure and spectrum of standing slow magnetosonic waves in a dipole plasmasphere is solved. Both an analytical (in WKB approximation) and numerical solutions are found to the problem, for a distribution of the plasma parameters typical of the Earth's plasmasphere. The solutions allow us to treat the total electronic content oscillations registered above Japan as oscillations of one of the first harmonics of standing slow magnetosonic waves. Near the ionosphere the main components of the field of registered standing SMS waves are the plasma oscillations along magnetic field lines, plasma concentration oscillation and the related oscillations of the gas-kinetic pressure. The velocity of the plasma oscillations increases dramatically near the ionospheric conductive layer, which should result in precipitation of the background plasma particles. This may be accompanied by ionospheric F2 region airglows modulated with the periods of standing slow magnetosonic waves.