Recent observations by satellites in the auroral ionosphere have established the presence of strong narrowly localized electric fields parallel to the ambient magnetic field. Physically these fields are formed by two layers of opposite charges in close proximity existing self-consistently in the plasma; this is known as a double layer (DL). The DL field accelerates plasma particles to form beams which excite wave modes and saturate to form electron phase-space holes (EHs). Intense perpendicular heating of ions is concurrently observed, leading to speculations regarding the heating mechanism(s). In this thesis, we address this issue via numerical simulations and analysis.

We have performed electrostatic kinetic simulations using the Vlasov-Poisson system of equations for conditions prevalent in the downward current region (DCR) of the auroral ionosphere. The simulations display low-frequency waves, EHs and ion heating, consistent with observations. We determine the relative importance of two proposed mechanisms for ion heating: stochastic heating due to EHs and due to wave-particle interactions at identifiable wave modes. Stochastic heating of ions via EH-ion scattering is estimated to account for approximately 10-15% of the observed increase in ion temperature in regions of intense wave activity. Spectral analysis shows that the energy exchange between waves and ions is concentrated at frequencies and wave numbers associated with nearly perpendicular magnetized ion wave modes and not EHs. We conclude that, in the vicinity of DLs in the DCR of the auroral ionosphere where both intense waves and EHs are present, wave-particle interactions are the principal mechanism of ion heating, with stochastic heating by electron phase-space holes playing a minor role.