Dr. Siyuan Wu (Southampton University)

Abstract: Auroral Kilometric Radiation (AKR) is one of Earth’s most intense natural radio emissions, generated along high-latitude auroral magnetic field lines in the polar magnetosphere. Emitted primarily in the right-hand extraordinary (R-X) mode and strongly circularly polarized, AKR spans a frequency range from approximately 30 kHz to 1 MHz, with a typical concentration between 100 and 400 kHz. It originates from low-density plasma cavities at radial distances of ~1.2 to 3.7 Earth radii, where energetic auroral electrons interact with electromagnetic waves through the cyclotron maser instability (CMI).