Preliminary results of simultaneous recording of auroral and geomagnetic pulsations at the ISTP SB RAS station Istok

The paper presents the results on first synchronous observations of variations in auroral luminosity and geomagnetic field, made with high temporal resolution at the ISTP SB RAS high-latitude station Istok (70° N, 88° E) in September–December 2018. Auroras were recorded with all-sky camera, pulsations in the auroras were recorded by a photometer in four spectral ranges with silicon photomultipliers. Continuous monitoring of geomagnetic pulsations was performed using a LEMI-30 three-component induction magnetometer. Both synchronous bursts of auroras and magnetic field pulsations, as well as disturbances of auroras, not accompanied by disturbances in the geomagnetic field, were observed. We note that the photometer clearly recorded short-period (~20 min) variations in in auroral luminosity. At the same time, some instability of the photometer signal level occurred at sufficiently long time intervals. In the photometer data, there are powerful signal bursts, probably of a hardware nature. Nevertheless, the temporary distribution analysis of the registration moments (registration frequency) of signal bursts indicates the possible dependence of the burst registration frequency on the geomagnetic activity level.

Preliminary results of simultaneous recording of auroral and geomagnetic pulsations at the ISTP SB RAS station Istok

The paper presents the results on first synchronous observations of variations in auroral luminosity and geomagnetic field, made with high temporal resolution at the ISTP SB RAS high-latitude station Istok (70° N, 88° E) in September–December 2018. Auroras were recorded with all-sky camera, pulsations in the auroras were recorded by a photometer in four spectral ranges with silicon photomultipliers. Continuous monitoring of geomagnetic pulsations was performed using a LEMI-30 three-component induction magnetometer. Both synchronous bursts of auroras and magnetic field pulsations, as well as disturbances of auroras, not accompanied by disturbances in the geomagnetic field, were observed. We note that the photometer clearly recorded short-period (~20 min) variations in in auroral luminosity. At the same time, some instability of the photometer signal level occurred at sufficiently long time intervals. In the photometer data, there are powerful signal bursts, probably of a hardware nature. Nevertheless, the temporary distribution analysis of the registration moments (registration frequency) of signal bursts indicates the possible dependence of the burst registration frequency on the geomagnetic activity level.

Non-triggered auroral substorms and long-period (1–4 mHz) geomagnetic and auroral luminosity pulsations in the polar cap

A study is undertaken into parameters of the polar auroral and geomagnetic pulsations in the frequency range 1–4 mHz (Pc5∕Pi3) during quiet geomagnetic intervals preceding auroral substorms and non-substorm background variations. Special attention is paid to substorms that occur under parameters of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions typical for undisturbed days (non-triggered substorms). The spectral parameters of pulsations observed in auroral luminosity as measured by a meridian scanning photometer (Svalbard) in the polar cap and near the polar boundary of the auroral oval are studied and compared with those for the geomagnetic pulsations measured by the magnetometer network IMAGE in the same frequency range. It is found that Pc5∕Pi3 power spectral density (PSD) is higher during pre-substorm time intervals than for non-substorm days and that specific variations of pulsation parameters (substorm precursors) occur during the last 2–4 pre-substorm hours.

Investigations of the auroral luminosity distribution and the dynamics of discrete auroral forms in a historical retrospective

Research results about planetary-scale auroral distributions are presented in a historical retrospective, beginning with the first "maps of isochasms" – lines of equal visibility of auroras in the firmament (Fig. 2) – up to "isoaurora maps" – lines of equal occurrence frequency of auroras in the zenith (Fig. 4). The exploration of auroras in Russia from Lomonosov in the 18th century (Fig. 1) until the start of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957 is shortly summed up. A generalised pattern of discrete auroral forms along the auroral oval during geomagnetically very quiet intervals is presented in Fig. 5. The changes of discrete auroral forms versus local time exhibit a fixed pattern with respect to the sun. The auroral forms comprise rays near noon, homogeneous arcs during the evening, and rayed arcs and bands during the night and in the morning. This fixed auroral pattern is unsettled during disturbances, which occur sometimes even during very quiet intervals. The azimuths of extended auroral forms vary with local time. Such variations in the orientation of extended forms above stations in the auroral zone have been used by various investigators to determine the position of the auroral oval (Fig. 9). Auroral luminosity of the daytime and nighttime sectors differ owing to different luminosity forms, directions of motion of the discrete forms, the height of the luminescent layers, and the spectral composition (predominant red emissions during daytime and green emissions during the night). Schemes that summarise principal peculiarities of daytime luminosity, its structure in MLT (magnetic local time) and MLat (magnetic latitude) coordinates, and the spectral composition of the luminosity are presented in Figs. 15 and 19. We discuss in detail the daytime sector dynamics of individual discrete forms for both quiet conditions and auroral substorms. The most important auroral changes during substorms occur in the nighttime sector. We present the evolution of conceptions about the succession of discrete auroral forms and their dynamics during disturbance intervals. This ranges from Birkeland's polar elementary storms, over the prospect of a fixed auroral pattern up to the auroral substorm model. The classic schemes of the spatial distribution and motion of discrete auroral forms during single substorms are shown in Fig. 20 (expansive and recovery phases) and Fig. 21 (creation, expansive and recovery phases). In this review we discuss various models of bulge formation, in particular as a result of new formation of arcs about 50–100 km poleward of previously existing auroral structures (Fig. 24). Discrete steps in the development of an expanding bulge are separated by 1–3 min from each other. The model of successive activations confines only to a ~40° longitudinal portion of the magnetotail (Fig. 28). We consider differences in the development of single substorms and substorms during magnetic storms. The structure and dynamics of auroras during steady magnetospheric convection (SMC) periods are dealt with in Sect. 8. A generalised scheme of the auroral distribution during SMC periods is shown in Fig. 34. Separate sections describe discrete auroras in the polar cap (Sect. 5), and the diffuse luminosity equatorward of the auroral oval (Sect. 9). Visual observations of diffuse auroral forms at midlatitudes suggest that the whole latitudinal interval between the auroral oval and the stable auroral red (SAR) arc is filled up with diffuse luminosity. SAR arcs with intensities of several tens of Rayleigh enclose systematically the region of diffuse luminosity; they are positioned at the border of the plasmasphere.

Inverse cascade in the structure of substorm aurora and non-linear dynamics of field-aligned current filaments

We investigate time evolution of scaling index αA that characterizes auroral luminosity fluctuations at the beginning of substorm expansion. With the use of UVI images from the Polar satellite, it is shown that αA typically varies from values less than unity to ~1.5, increasing with breakup progress. Similar scaling features were previously reported for fluctuations at smaller scales from all-sky TV observations. If this signature is interpreted in terms of non-linear interactions between scales, it means that the power of small-scale fluctuations is transferred with time to larger scales, a kind of the inverse cascade. Scaling behavior in the aurora during substorm activity is compared with that in the field-aligned currents simulated numerically in the model of non-linear interactions of Alfvénic coherent structures, according to the Chang et al. (2004) scenario. This scenario also suggests an inverse cascade, manifesting in clustering of small-scale field-aligned current filaments of the same polarity and formation of "coarse-grained" structures of field-aligned currents.

Estimating the location of the open-closed magnetic field line boundary from auroral images

The open-closed magnetic field line boundary (OCB) delimits the region of open magnetic flux forming the polar cap in the Earth's ionosphere. We present a reliable, automated method for determining the location of the poleward auroral luminosity boundary (PALB) from far ultraviolet (FUV) images of the aurora, which we use as a proxy for the OCB. This technique models latitudinal profiles of auroral luminosity as both a single and double Gaussian function with a quadratic background to produce estimates of the PALB without prior knowledge of the level of auroral activity or of the presence of bifurcation in the auroral oval. We have applied this technique to FUV images recorded by the IMAGE satellite from May 2000 until August 2002 to produce a database of over a million PALB location estimates, which is freely available to download. From this database, we assess and illustrate the accuracy and reliability of this technique during varying geomagnetic conditions. We find that up to 35% of our PALB estimates are made from double Gaussian fits to latitudinal intensity profiles, in preference to single Gaussian fits, in nightside magnetic local time (MLT) sectors. The accuracy of our PALBs as a proxy for the location of the OCB is evaluated by comparison with particle precipitation boundary (PPB) proxies from the DMSP satellites. We demonstrate the value of this technique in estimating the total rate of magnetic reconnection from the time variation of the polar cap area calculated from our OCB estimates.