Electromagnetic Pulsations

ABSTRACT Electromagnetic pulsations are unique types of oscillations in the geomagnetic fields with periods ranging from 0.2 to 600s. It is believed that the excitations of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves by a variety of plasma instabilities are responsible for the generation of electromagnetic pulsations in the Earth’s magnetosphere. Electromagnetic pulsations are involved in transporting energy between various regions of the magnetosphere. Electromagnetic pulsations are found to affect the dynamics of the charged particles in the inner magnetosphere and outer radiation belts during geomagnetically active periods. Electromagnetic pulsations are now considered as an important component of space weather studies. In this short review, some salient features of electromagnetic pulsations, like the characteristic properties, generation mechanisms, recent advances and present status of research on this topic are highlighted.