Quasilinear Relaxation as a Mechanism for Electron Temperature Saturation in the Earth’s Plasmasphere

Abstract

A mechanism is presented according to which quasi-linear relaxation can cause electron temperature saturation at the observed level when the plasmasphere is heated by magnetohydrodynamic waves. An algorithm for calculating saturation temperatures is proposed, and they are numerically estimated. At low wave frequencies, saturation occurs at temperatures of 3–5 eV, and in the vicinity of cyclotron frequencies, it occurs at 2–4 eV.