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The TEAMS instrument on the FAST satellite has captured events in which He+ ions are resonantly accelerated perpendicular to the magnetic field to energies of several keV. The events occur in association with electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and conic distributions of up to a few hundred eV in H+ and a few keV in O+. Concentrations of He+ can be significantly elevated during the events. Our interpretation is that the He+ ions are accelerated through a cyclotron resonance with the waves. This acceleration is similar to a proposed mechanism for selective ion acceleration in impulsive solar flares.
See this paper and other papers from the FAST special section online at the Space Physics and Aeronomy in Geophysical Research Letters site.
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