Identification of linearly unstable modes in the near-Earth current disruption

Identification of wave characteristics during current disruption events in the near-Earth geomagnetic tail region (~ 10 RE) is important to understand the substorm onset mechanism. In this paper, linear stability analysis in the ion-cyclotron grequency range, considering temperature anisotropy and cross-field flow is presented. It is found that the ion-cyclotron drift waves propagating in a quasi-perpendicular direction with respect to the ambient magnetic field are characterized by low frequencies ($\omega$ < $0.5{\Omega}ci$), while quasi-parallel waves have frequencies close to the ion-cyclotron frequency ($\omega{\sim}{\Omega}ci$). This finding is consistent with the observation by THEMIS spacecraft of a current disruption event in which a similar high- and low-frequency band structure is also present [A. T. Y. Lui, et al., J. Geophys. Res. 113, A00C06 (2008)]. It is also found that the quasi-perpendicular mode is excited by the ion cross-field flow.