Interpreting measurements of energized ions within the pressure cooker acceleration scenario

In this work, measurements from the VISIONS (VISualizing Ion Outflow via Neutral atom imaging during a Substorm-2013) sounding rocket are presented and discussed. These measurements made during an active auroral event, featured strong fluxes of transversely accelerated ions using concurrent measurements from an Electrostatic Ion Analyzer (EIA) and field instruments on the rocket as well as supporting measurements from remote sensing instruments on the rocket payload and on the ground. These accelerated ions are interpreted within the pressure cooker mechanism of Gorney et. al. (1985), where the accelerated ions are trapped in between the magnetic mirror point and a potential barrier up in the atmosphere. The measurements upon reviewing showed the profile of wave heating and found out to be promising to infer the pressure cooker scenario. The discussion is compatible with the signature in the measurements. Also, the ions exhibit high-speed transients that are termed gyro-phase bunching.