Electron acceleration by parametrically excited Langmuir waves

Abstract
Simple physical arguments are used to estimate the downward‐going energetic electron flux due to parametrically excited Langmuir waves in ionospheric modification experiments. The acceleration mechanism is a single velocity reversal as seen in the frame of the Langmuir wave. The flux is sufficient to produce the observed ionospheric airglow if focusing‐type instabilities are invoked to produce moderate local enhancements of the pump field.