The Role of Wave–Particle Interactions in the Dynamics of Plasma in the Polar Cusp

This paper presents a review of observations of low-frequency plasma waves together with plasma particles performed by Interball 1 and its subsatellite Magion 4 and by the Freja satellite in different cusp regions. The detailed study of the wave spectra together with the electron distribution functions indicates the correlation between the presence of lower-hybrid waves and of particles with energies higher than in the surrounding space. These experimental facts suggest that strong coupling between waves and particles is responsible for plasma heating. The Freja data with a high time resolution allow identification of the process of energy transport via a cascade from low frequency waves to high frequency waves accompanied by electron energization.