Kinetic Excitation Mechanisms for ION-Cyclotron Kinetic Alfvén Waves in Sun-Earth ConnectionI

We study kinetic excitation mechanisms for high-frequency dispersive Alfvén waves in the solar corona, solar wind, and Earth's magnetosphere. The ion-cyclotron and Cherenkov kinetic effects are important for these waves which we call the ion-cyclotron kinetic Alfvén waves (ICKAWs). Ion beams, anisotropic particles distributions and currents provide free energy for the excitation of ICKAWs in space plasmas. As particular examples we consider ICKAW instabilities in the coronal magnetic reconnection events, in the fast solar wind, and in the Earth's magnetopause. Energy conversion and transport initiated by ICKAW instabilities is significant for the whole dynamics of Sun-Earth connection chain, and observations of ICKAW activity could provide a diagnostic/predictive tool in the space environment research. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.