Excitation of localized rotating waves in plasma density cavities by scattering of fast magnetosonic waves

An analytic description of electromagnetic waves in an inhomogeneous plasma is applied to investigate excitation of localized rotating waves below the lower hybrid frequency through scattering of fast magnetosonic waves on a density cavity. The magnetosonic wave is focused to left-handed rotating oscillations. We find the amplitude of the localized oscillations, resonance frequencies, and the width of the resonances. The theory is relevant for the lower hybrid solitary structures observed in space plasmas and is shown to be consistent with observations by the Freja satellite