scholarly journals An auroral westward flow channel (AWFC) and its relationship to field-aligned current, ring current, and plasmapause location determined using multiple spacecraft observations

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Parkinson ◽  
J. A. Wild ◽  
C. L. Waters ◽  
M. Lester ◽  
E. A. Lucek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ring Current ◽  
Narrow Channel ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Auroral Oval ◽  
Flow Channel ◽  
Expansion Phase ◽  
Field Aligned Current

Abstract. An auroral westward flow channel (AWFC) is a latitudinally narrow channel of unstable F-region plasma with intense westward drift in the dusk-to-midnight sector ionosphere. AWFCs tend to overlap the equatorward edge of the auroral oval, and their life cycle is often synchronised to that of substorms: they commence close to substorm expansion phase onset, intensify during the expansion phase, and then decay during the recovery phase. Here we define for the first time the relationship between an AWFC, large-scale field-aligned current (FAC), the ring current, and plasmapause location. The Tasman International Geospace Environment Radar (TIGER), a Southern Hemisphere HF SuperDARN radar, observed a jet-like AWFC during ~08:35 to 13:28 UT on 7 April 2001. The initiation of the AWFC was preceded by a band of equatorward expanding ionospheric scatter (BEES) which conveyed an intense poleward electric field through the inner plasma sheet. Unlike previous AWFCs, this event was not associated with a distinct substorm surge; rather it occurred during an interval of persistent, moderate magnetic activity characterised by AL~−200 nT. The four Cluster spacecraft had perigees within the dusk sector plasmasphere, and their trajectories were magnetically conjugate to the radar observations. The Waves of High frequency and Sounder for Probing Electron density by Relaxation (WHISPER) instruments on board Cluster were used to identify the plasmapause location. The Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) EUV experiment also provided global-scale observations of the plasmapause. The Cluster fluxgate magnetometers (FGM) provided successive measurements specifying the relative location of the ring current and filamentary plasma sheet current. An analysis of Iridium spacecraft magnetometer measurements provided estimates of large-scale ionospheric FAC in relation to the AWFC evolution. Peak flows in the AWFC were located close to the peak of a Region 2 downward FAC, located just poleward of the plasmapause. DMSP satellite observations confirmed the AWFC was located equatorward of the nightside plasmasheet, sometimes associated with ~10 keV ion precipitation.

scholarly journals Temporal and spatial evolution of discrete auroral arcs as seen by Cluster

2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 2531-2557 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Figueiredo ◽  
G. T. Marklund ◽  
T. Karlsson ◽  
T. Johansson ◽  
Y. Ebihara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electric Field ◽  
Electric Fields ◽  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Potential Drop ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
Auroral Oval ◽  
Expansion Phase ◽  
Electric Fields And Currents ◽  
Auroral Arcs

Abstract. Two event studies are presented in this paper where intense convergent electric fields, with mapped intensities up to 1350 mV/m, are measured in the auroral upward current region by the Cluster spacecraft, at altitudes between 3 and 5 Earth radii. Both events are from May 2003, Southern Hemisphere, with equatorward crossings by the Cluster spacecraft of the pre-midnight auroral oval. Event 1 occurs during the end of the recovery phase of a strong substorm. A system of auroral arcs associated with convergent electric field structures, with a maximum perpendicular potential drop of about ~10 kV, and upflowing field-aligned currents with densities of 3 µA/m2 (mapped to the ionosphere), was detected at the boundary between the Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer (PSBL) and the Plasma Sheet (PS). The auroral arc structures evolve in shape and in magnitude on a timescale of tens of minutes, merging, broadening and intensifying, until finally fading away after about 50 min. Throughout this time, both the PS region and the auroral arc structure in its poleward part remain relatively fixed in space, reflecting the rather quiet auroral conditions during the end of the substorm. The auroral upward acceleration region is shown for this event to extend beyond 3.9 Earth radii altitude. Event 2 occurs during a more active period associated with the expansion phase of a moderate substorm. Images from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F13 spacecraft show that the Cluster spacecraft crossed the horn region of a surge-type aurora. Conjugated with the Cluster spacecraft crossing above the surge horn, the South Pole All Sky Imager recorded the motion and the temporal evolution of an east-west aligned auroral arc, 30 to 50 km wide. Intense electric field variations are measured by the Cluster spacecraft when crossing above the auroral arc structure, collocated with the density gradient at the PS poleward boundary, and coupled to intense upflowing field-aligned currents with mapped densities of up to 20 µA/m2. The surge horn consists of multiple arc structures which later merge into one structure and intensify at the PS poleward boundary. The surge horn and the associated PS region moved poleward with a velocity at the ionospheric level of 0.5 km/s, following the large-scale poleward expansion of the auroral oval associated with the substorm expansion phase. Keywords. Ionosphere (Ionosphere-magnetosphere interacctions; Electric fields and currents; Particle acceleration)

scholarly journals Ionospheric signatures during a magnetospheric flux rope event

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 3967-3977 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Juusola ◽  
O. Amm ◽  
H. U. Frey ◽  
K. Kauristie ◽  
R. Nakamura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flux Rope ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
Expansion Phase ◽  
Northern Fennoscandia ◽  
Ionospheric Region ◽  
Image Satellite ◽  
Imaging Camera ◽  
Flux Ropes ◽  
Field Aligned Current ◽  
Upward Current

Abstract. On 13 August 2002, during a substorm, Cluster encountered two earthward moving flux ropes (FR) in the central magnetotail. The first FR was observed during the expansion phase of the substorm, and the second FR during the recovery phase. In the conjugate ionospheric region in Northern Fennoscandia, the ionospheric equivalent currents were observed by the MIRACLE network and the auroral evolution was monitored by the Wideband Imaging Camera (WIC) on-board the IMAGE satellite. Extending the study of Amm et al. (2006), we examine and compare the possible ionospheric signatures associated with the two FRs. Amm et al. studied the first event in detail and found that the ionospheric footprint of Cluster coincided with a region of downward field-aligned current. They suggested that this region of downward current, together with a trailing region of upward current further southwestward, might correspond to the ends of the FR. Unlike during the first FR, however, we do not see any clear ionospheric features associated with the second one. In the GSM xy-plane, the first flux rope axis was tilted with respect to the y-direction by 29°, while the second flux rope axis was almost aligned in the y-direction, with an angle of 4° only. It is possible that due to the length and orientation of the second FR, any ionospheric signatures were simply mapped outside the region covered by the ground-based instruments. We suggest that the ground signatures of a FR depend on the orientation and the length of the structure.

scholarly journals A plasma flow vortex in the magnetotail and its related ionospheric signatures

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 537-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Tang
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Flow ◽  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Time History ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Auroral Oval ◽  
Fort Smith ◽  
Flow Speeds ◽  
History Of ◽  
Flow Vortex

Abstract. We presented a large-scale plasma flow vortex event that occurred on 1 March 2009 observed by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) satellites. During the interval, THEMIS satellites were located in the premidnight region between 11 and 16 RE downtail. Dawnward-earthward plasma flows were seen initially in the magnetotail, followed by duskward-tailward flows. This suggests that a clockwise plasma flow vortex (seen from above the equatorial plane) was observed on the dawn side of the plasma sheet. Furthermore, high energy (>1 keV) electrons were observed. Auroral images at 427.8 nm and THEMIS white light all-sky imager (ASI) at Fort Smith showed a discrete auroral patch formed at the poleward of the auroral oval, it then intensified. It extended eastward and equatorward first and followed by westward motion to form the clockwise auroral vortex. The auroral feature corresponded to the ionospheric signatures of the plasma flow vortex in the magnetotail when the Alfvén transit time between the magnetotail and the ionosphere was taken into account. We suggest that the large-scale clockwise plasma flow vortex in association with the high energy (>1 keV) electrons on the dawn side of the plasma sheet generated a downward field-aligned current (FAC) that caused the related ionospheric signatures. The plasma flow vortex had rotational flow speeds of up to 300 km s−1. The current density associated with the plasma flow vortex was estimated at 2.0 μA m−2, mapped to the ionosphere.

scholarly journals Experimental study of the formation of inverted-V structures and their stratification using AUREOL-3 observations

2000 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 1399-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Luízar ◽  
M. V. Stepanova ◽  
J. M. Bosqued ◽  
E. E. Antonova ◽  
R. A. Kovrazhkin
Keyword(s):  
Current Density ◽  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Initial Pressure ◽  
Auroral Zone ◽  
Total Width ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Ion Temperature ◽  
Field Aligned Current ◽  
Statistical Trends

Abstract. Multiple inverted-V structures are commonly observed on the same auroral zone crossing by a low-altitude orbiting satellite. Such structures appear grouped and apparently result from an ionospheric and/or magnetospheric mechanism of stratification. More than two years of AUREOL-3 satellite observations were analyzed to study their properties and their formation in the framework of the ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling model proposed by Tverskoy. This model predicts some natural periodicity in the electrostatic potential profile (and subsequently in the field-aligned current profiles) that could account for oscillations experimentally observed in the auroral zone, such as successive inverted-Vs. Experimental results obtained during quiet or moderately active periods demonstrate that the number of structures observed within a given event is well described by a 'scaling' parameter provided by the hot plasma stratification theory and expressed in terms of the field-aligned current density, the total width of the current band, the plasma sheet ion temperature, and the height-integrated Pedersen conductivity of the ionosphere. The latitudinal width, in the order of 100–200 km at ionospheric altitudes, is relatively independent of the current density, and is determined not only by the existence of a potential difference above the inverted-Vs, but also by basic oscillations of the ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling system predicted by Tverskoy. The large number of cases studied by the AUREOL-3 satellite provides reliable statistical trends which permits the validation of the model and the inference that the multiple structures currently observed can be related directly to oscillations of the magnetospheric potential (or the pressure gradients) on a scale of ~1000-2000 km in the near-Earth plasma sheet. These oscillations arise in the Tverskoy model and may naturally result when the initial pressure gradients needed to generate a large-scale field-aligned current have a sufficiently wide equatorial scale, of about 1 RE or more.Key words: Magnetospheric physics (current systems; energetic particles, precipitating; magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions)

scholarly journals Collective dynamics of bursty particle precipitation initiating in the inner and outer plasma sheet

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 745-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. M. Uritsky ◽  
E. Donovan ◽  
A. J. Klimas ◽  
E. Spanswick
Keyword(s):  
Electron Emission ◽  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Spatiotemporal Analysis ◽  
Auroral Oval ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Dissipation Mechanism ◽  
Precipitation Events

Abstract. Using multiscale spatiotemporal analysis of bursty precipitation events in the nighttime aurora as seen by the POLAR UVI instrument, we report a set of new statistical signatures of high- and low-latitude auroral activity, signaling a strongly non-uniform distribution of dissipation mechanism in the plasma sheet. We show that small-scale electron emission events that initiate in the equatorward portion of the nighttime auroral oval (scaling mode A1) have systematically steeper power-law slopes of energy, power, area, and lifetime probability distributions compared to the events that initiate at higher latitudes (mode B). The low-latitude group of events also contain a small but energetically important subpopulation of substorm-scale disturbances (mode A2) described by anomalously low distribution exponents characteristic of barely stable thermodynamic systems that are prone to large-scale sporadic reorganization. The high latitude events (mode

scholarly journals Introducing the “VALOR” analysis framework for auroral field-aligned current sheets using observations from Swarm Alpha and Charlie

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonie Pick ◽  
Joachim Vogt ◽  
Adrian Blagau ◽  
Nele Stachlys
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Linear Correlation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Field Vector ◽  
Auroral Oval ◽  
Association Measure ◽  
Field Aligned Current ◽  
Scale Estimate

<p>The investigation of auroral field-aligned current (FAC) sheets is crucial in the context of space weather research since they serve as main transmitters of energy and momentum across geospace domains. Different magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling modes are reflected by the FACs’ multiscale nature with spatial scales, i.e., latitudinal extensions, ranging from below 1 km to hundreds of kilometers. The multiscale property can be addressed conveniently using ESA’s three-spacecraft mission Swarm. According to common practice a linear correlation analysis is performed on lagged and band-pass filtered scalar FAC density estimates from two nearby spacecraft.</p><p>We introduce the framework VALOR (Vectorial Association of Linearly Oriented Residua) which generalizes the common approach in two ways. First, VALOR utilizes the full magnetic field vector primarily observed at both spacecraft without filtering. Second, VALOR allows to test statistical association measures other than linear correlation in dependence of both time and along-track spacecraft lag. The method is further refined by considering the current sheet’s polarization, i.e., the directional preference of the associated magnetic field perturbation, which additionally constrains the sheet’s orientation.</p><p>Here, we apply VALOR to 1 Hz magnetic field observations from Swarm Alpha and Charlie and base the association measure on a vectorial version of the mean squared deviation. By means of a sample auroral oval crossing event we demonstrate that the incorporation of vectorial and polarization information helps to focus the association measure in the time-lag parameter plane leading to a smaller FAC spatial scale estimate. This result seems to hold in a statistical context including over 9000 quasi-perpendicular auroral oval crossings from 2014 to 2020. The fact that the VALOR derived FAC locations reflect the known ellipsoidal shapes of the auroral ovals speaks to the overall plausibility of the method as well as the independently supported finding that large-scale FACs (>300 km) dominate the dawn and dusk sectors while smaller scale FACs gain importance at noon and midnight. Among the various opportunities for future work are an application to 50 Hz high-resolution Swarm data as well as the investigation of the solar controlling parameters.</p>

scholarly journals SuperDARN Hokkaido radar observation of westward flow enhancement in subauroral latitudes

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 1695-1699 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Kataoka ◽  
K. Hosokawa ◽  
N. Nishitani ◽  
Y. Miyoshi
Keyword(s):  
Local Time ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Ring Current ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
Flow Speed ◽  
Magnetic Local Time ◽  
Magnetic Latitude ◽  
Flow Enhancement ◽  
Field Aligned Current ◽  
Hokkaido Radar

Abstract. Westward flow enhancement in subauroral latitudes is investigated based on the first one and a half year observation of the SuperDARN Hokkaido radar. A total of 15 events are identified with the criteria of westward flow speed of >1.0 km/s in magnetic latitude from 45 to 65 deg during geomagnetically disturbed period of Kp>3+ at 20 magnetic local time. It is found that especially during the storm recovery phase, the flow enhancement occurs in broad range of Dst amplitude, and the occurrence latitude depends on the amplitude of Dst. It is also found that the disturbed Kp condition is not sufficient for the appearance of the subauroral flow enhancement as seen by Hokkaido radar while storm-like Dst condition is necessary, supporting the idea that ring current particles play an essential role to enhance the westward flow in subauroral latitudes via magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling through the field-aligned current.

scholarly journals Multi-instrument observations of the ionospheric counterpart of a bursty bulk flow in the near-Earth plasma sheet

2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1061-1075 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Grocott ◽  
T. K. Yeoman ◽  
R. Nakamura ◽  
S. W. H. Cowley ◽  
H. U. Frey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Current System ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Bulk Flow ◽  
Optical Data ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Plasma Convection ◽  
Bursty Bulk Flow ◽  
Central Plasma

Abstract. On 07 September 2001 the Cluster spacecraft observed a "bursty bulk flow" event in the near-Earth central plasma sheet. This paper presents a detailed study of the coincident ground-based observations and attempts to place them within a simple physical framework. The event in question occurs at ~22:30 UT, some 10min after a southward turning of the IMF. IMAGE and SAMNET magnetometer measurements of the ground magnetic field reveal perturbations of a few tens of nT and small amplitude Pi2 pulsations. CUTLASS radar observations of ionospheric plasma convection show enhanced flows out of the polar cap near midnight, accompanied by an elevated transpolar voltage. Optical data from the IMAGE satellite also show that there is a transient, localised ~1 kR brightening in the UV aurora. These observations are consistent with the earthward transport of plasma in the tail, but also indicate the absence of a typical "large-scale" substorm current wedge. An analysis of the field-aligned current system implied by the radar measurements does suggest the existence of a small-scale current "wedgelet", but one which lacks the global scale and high conductivities observed during substorm expansions. Key words. Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; ionospheremagnetosphere interactions; plasma convection)

scholarly journals Observations of an auroral streamer in a double oval configuration

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 701-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Amm ◽  
R. Nakamura ◽  
T. Takada ◽  
K. Kauristie ◽  
H. U. Frey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
Auroral Oval ◽  
Expansion Phase ◽  
Optical Instruments ◽  
Image Satellite ◽  
Bursty Bulk Flow ◽  
Polarization Electric Field ◽  
Late Evening ◽  
Eiscat Radar

Abstract. During the late evening and night of 14 September 2004, the nightside auroral oval shows a distinct double oval configuration for several hours after a substorm onset at ~18:45 UT. This structure is observed both by the IMAGE satellite optical instruments focusing on the Southern Hemisphere, and by the MIRACLE ground-based instrument network in Scandinavia. At ~21:17 UT during the recovery phase of the substorm, an auroral streamer is detected by these instruments and the EISCAT radar, while simultaneously the Cluster satellites observe a bursty bulk flow in the conjugate portion of the plasma sheet in the magnetotail. Our combined data analysis reveals significant differences between the ionospheric equivalent current signature of this streamer within a double oval configuration, as compared to previously studied streamer events without such a configuration. We attribute these differences to the presence of an additional poleward polarization electric field between the poleward and the equatorward portions of the double oval, and show with a simple model that such an assumption can conceptually explain the observations. Further, we estimate the total current transferred in meridional direction by this recovery phase streamer to ~80 kA, significantly less than for previously analysed expansion phase streamer events. Both results indicate that the development of auroral streamers is dependent on the ambient background conditions in the magnetosphere-ionosphere system. The auroral streamer event studied was simultaneously observed in the conjugate Northern and Southern Hemisphere ionosphere.

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