Theory of the fine structure of auroral kilometric radiation

Recent data from ISEE 1 show auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) with finely separated bands in frequency. The observation that the AKR fine structure frequency separation is about equal to the ion cyclotron frequency at the AKR source is strong evidence for the interaction of AKR and electrostatic ion cyclotron (EIC) waves in the source, as proposed by Grabbe et al. (1980) to explain the origin of AKR. It is pointed out that no other wave of frequency close to the band separation is known to exist in the auroral source region. The fine structure observed in the source region AKR is the first evidence for EIC waves in the lower source region (3000 - 5000 km attitude), as required in the theory of Grabbe et al.