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1.
The ionospheric response to flux transfer events: the first few minutes   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  
We utilise high-time resolution measurements from the PACE HF radar at Halley, Antarctica to explore the evolution of the ionospheric response during the first few minutes after enhanced reconnection occurs at the magnetopause. We show that the plasma velocity increases associated with flux transfer events (FTEs) occur first 100–200 km equatorward of the region to which magnetosheath (cusp) precipitation maps to the ionosphere. We suggest that these velocity variations start near the ionospheric footprint of the boundary between open and closed magnetic field lines. We show that these velocity variations have rise times 100 s and fall times of 10 s. When these velocity transients reach the latitude of the cusp precipitation, sometimes the equatorward boundary of the precipitation begins to move equatorward, the expected and previously reported ionospheric signature of enhanced reconnection. A hypothesis is proposed to explain the velocity variations. It involves the rapid outflow of magnetospheric electrons into the magnetosheath along the most recently reconnected field lines. Several predictions are made arising from the proposed explanation which could be tested with ground-based and space-based observations.  相似文献   

2.
The position of the auroral oval poleward and equatorward boundary projections on the equatorial plane in the nightside MLT sector during magnetically quiet periods (|AL| < 200 nT, |Dst| < 10 nT) has been determined. The oval boundary positions were determined according to the precipitation model developed at Polar Geophysical Institute (http://apm.pgia.ru/). The isotropy of the averaged plasma pressure and the experimentally confirmed balance of pressures during the nighttime have been taken into account. The morphological mapping method has been used to map the oval poleward and equatorward edges without the use of any magnetic field model on the assumption that the condition of magnetostatic equilibrium is valid. Ion pressures at ionospheric altitudes and in the equatorial plane have been compared. It has been shown that the auroral oval equatorward boundary in the midnight sector is localized at geocentric distances of ~7 RE, which is in good agreement with the position of the energetic particle injection boundary in the equatorial plane. The oval poleward edge is localized at the ~10 RE geocentric distance, which is in good agreement with the position of the equatorward boundary of the region with a high turbulence level in the Earth’s magnetosphere plasma sheet.  相似文献   

3.
Based on data of the NOAA POES satellite, the global distribution of the occurrence rate of precipitations of energetic protons (E > 30 keV) equatorward of the boundary of isotropic fluxes has been constructed for the first time. It has been shown that the occurrence rate of proton precipitations inside the zone of anisotropic fluxes is maximum in daytime hours (1100–1600 MLT) at latitudes L = 6–9 and decreases in evening and morning hours. Comparison of the obtained results about proton precipitations with the spatial distribution of the occurrence rate of electromagnetic ion–cyclotron (EMIC) waves in the equatorial magnetosphere according to results of satellite observations demonstrates a close relationship between them. This corroborates that precipitations of energetic protons equatorward of the boundary of isotropic fluxes are a consequence of the development of the ion–cyclotron instability in the equatorial magnetosphere.  相似文献   

4.
We have combined ∼300 h of tristatic measurements of the field-perpendicular F region ionospheric flow measured overhead at Tromsø by the EISCAT UHF radar, with simultaneous IMP-8 measurements of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) upstream of the Earth’s magnetosphere, in order to examine the response time of the ionospheric flow to changes in the north-south component of the IMF (Bz). In calculating the flow response delay, the time taken by field changes observed by the spacecraft to first effect the ionosphere has been carefully estimated and subtracted from the response time. Two analysis methods have been employed. In the first, the flow data were divided into 2 h-intervals of magnetic local time (MLT) and cross-correlated with the “half-wave rectifier” function V2Bs, where V is the solar wind speed, and Bs is equal to IMF Bz if the latter is negative, and is zero otherwise. Response delays, determined from the time lag of the peak value of the cross-correlation coefficient, were computed versus MLT for both the east-west and north-south components of flow. The combined data set suggests minimum delays at ∼1400 MLT, with increased response times on the nightside. For the 12-h sector centred on 1400 MLT, the weighted average response delay was found to be 1.3 ± 0.8 min, while for the 12-h sector centred on 0200 MLT the weighted average delay was found to increase to 8.8 ± 1.7 min. In the second method we first inspected the IMF data for sharp and enduring (at least ∼5 min) changes in polarity of the north-south component, and then examined concurrent EISCAT flow data to determine the onset time of the corresponding enhancement or decay of the flow. For the case in which the flow response was timed from whichever of the flow components responded first, minimum response delays were again found at ∼1400 MLT, with average delays of 4.8 ± 0.5 min for the 12-h sector centred on 1400 MLT, increasing to 9.2 ± 0.8 min on the nightside. The response delay is thus found to be reasonably small at all local times, but typically ∼6 min longer on the nightside compared with the dayside. In order to make an estimate of the ionospheric information propagation speed implied by these results, we have fitted a simple theoretical curve to the delay data which assumes that information concerning the excitation and decay of flow propagates with constant speed away from some point on the equatorward edge of the dayside open-closed field line boundary, taken to lie at 77° magnetic latitude. For the combined cross-correlation results the best-fit epicentre of information propagation was found to be at 1400 MLT, with an information propagation phase speed of 9.0 km s−1. For the combined event analysis, the best-fit epicentre was also found to be located at 1400 MLT, with a phase speed of 6.8 km s−1.  相似文献   

5.
The dynamics of the cusp region and post-noon sector for an interval of predominantly IMF By, Bz < 0 nT are studied with the CUTLASS Finland coherent HF radar, a meridian-scanning photometer located at Ny Ålesund, Svalbard, and a meridional network of magnetometers. The scanning mode of the radar is such that one beam is sampled every 14 s, and a 30° azimuthal sweep is completed every 2 minutes, all at 15 km range resolution. Both the radar backscatter and red line (630 nm) optical observations are closely co-located, especially at their equatorward boundary. The optical and radar aurora reveal three different behaviours which can interchange on the scale of minutes, and which are believed to be related to the dynamic nature of energy and momentum transfer from the solar wind to the magnetosphere through transient dayside reconnection. Two interpretations of the observations are presented, based upon the assumed location of the open/closed field line boundary (OCFLB). In the first, the OCFLB is co-located with equatorward boundary of the optical and radar aurora, placing most of the observations on open field lines. In the second, the observed aurora are interpreted as the ionospheric footprint of the region 1 current system, and the OCFLB is placed near the poleward edge of the radar backscatter and visible aurora; in this interpretation, most of the observations are placed on closed field lines, though transient brightenings of the optical aurora occur on open field lines. The observations reveal several transient features, including poleward and equatorward steps in the observed boundaries, braiding of the backscatter power, and 2 minute quasi-periodic enhancements of the plasma drift and optical intensity, predominantly on closed field lines.  相似文献   

6.
We document the detailed dynamics of the dayside aurora in the ≈1200–1600 MLT sector in response to a sharp southward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) under negative IMF By conditions. Features not documented in previous work are elucidated by using two meridan scanning photometers (separated by 2 h) and an all-sky auroral imager in Ny Ålesund, Svalbard (75.5^MLAT) in combination with magnetograms from stations on Svalbard, covering the latitude range 71^–75^MLAT. The initial auroral response may be divided into three phases consisting of: (1) intensification of both the red (630.0 nm) and green (557.7 nm) line emissions in the cusp aurora near 1200 MLT and ≈100 km equatorward shift of its equatorward boundary, at ≈75^MLAT, (2) eastward and poleward expansions of the cusp aurora, reaching the 1430 MLT meridian after 5–6 min, and (3) east-west expansion of the higher-latitude aurora (at ≈77^–78^MLAT) in the postnoon sector. The associated magnetic disturbance is characterized by an initial positive deflection of the X-component at stations located 100–400 km south of the aurora, corresponding to enhanced Sunward return flow associated with the merging convection cell in the post-noon sector. The sequence of partly overlapping poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs) during the first 15 min, accompanied by corresponding pulsations in the convection current, was followed by a strong westward contraction of the cusp aurora when the ground magnetograms indicated a temporary return to the pre-onset level. These observations are discussed in relation to the Cowley-Lockwood model of ionospheric response to pulsed magnetopause reconnection.  相似文献   

7.
Observations are presented of the polar ionosphere under steady, northward IMF. The measurements, made by six complementary experimental techniques, including radio tomography, all-sky and meridian scanning photometer optical imaging, incoherent and coherent scatter radars and satellite particle detection, reveal plasma parameters consistent with ionospheric signatures of lobe reconnection. The optical green-line footprint of the reconnection site is seen to lie in the sunward plasma convection of the lobe cells. Downstream in the region of softer precipitation the reverse energy dispersion of the incoming ions can be identified. A steep latitudinal density gradient at the equatorward edge of the precipitation identifies the general location of an adiaroic boundary, separating the open field lines of polar lobe cells from the closed field of viscous-driven cells. Enhancements in plasma density to the south of the gradient are interpreted as ionisation being reconfigured as it is thrust against the boundary by the antisunward flow of the viscous cells near noon. Each of the instruments individually provides valuable information on certain aspects of the ionosphere, but the paper demonstrates that taken together the different experiments complement each other to give a consistent and comprehensive picture of the dayside polar ionosphere.On sabbatical leave from Artic Geophysics, University Courses on Svalbard, N-9170 Longyearbyen, Norway  相似文献   

8.
The characteristics of dayside auroras during the large (16–24 nT) positive values of the IMF B z component, observed on January 14, 1988, during the interaction between the Earth’s magnetosphere and the body of the interplanetary magnetic cloud, have been studied based on the optical observations on Heiss Island. A wide band of diffuse red luminosity with an intensity of 1–2 kilorayleigh (kR) was observed during 6 h in the interval 1030–1630 MLT at latitudes higher than 75° CGL. Rayed auroral arcs, the brightness of which in the 557.7 nm emission sharply increased to 3–7 kR in the postnoon sector immediately after the polarity reversal of the IMF B y component from positive to negative, were continuously registered within the band. Bright auroral arcs were observed at the equatorward edge of red luminosity. It has been found out that the red auroral intensity increases and the band equatorward boundary shifts to lower latitudes with increasing solar wind dynamic pressure. However, a direct proportional dependence of the variations in the auroral features on the dynamic pressure variations has not been found. It has been concluded that the source of bright discrete auroras is located in the region of the low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL) on closed geomagnetic field lines. The estimated LLBL thickness is ∼3 R e . It has been concluded that the intensity of the dayside red band depends on the solar wind plasma density, whereas the position of the position equatorward boundary depends on the dynamic pressure value and its variations.  相似文献   

9.
A case study of the dayside cusp/cleft region during an interval of stationary magnetospheric convection (SMC) on November, 24, 1981 is presented, based on detailed measurements made by the AUREOL-3 satellite. Layered small-scale field-aligned current sheets, or loops, superimposed to a narrow V-shaped ion dispersion structure, were observed just equatorward from the region of the “cusp proper”. The equatorward sheet was accompanied by a very intense and short (less than 1 s) ion intensity spike at 100 eV. No major differences were noted of the characteristics of the LLBL, or “boundary cusp”, and plasma mantle precipitation during this SMC period from those typical of the cusp/cleft region for similar IMF conditions. Simultaneous NOAA-6 and NOAA-7 measurements described in Despirak et al. were used to estimate the average extent of the “cusp proper” (defined by dispersed precipitating ions with the energy flux exceeding 10−3 erg cm−2 s−1) during the SMC period, as ≈0.73∼ ILAT width, 2.6–3.4 h in MLT, and thus the recently merged magnetic flux, 0.54–0.70 × 107 Wb. This, together with the average drift velocity across the cusp at the convection throat, ≈0.5 km s−1, allowed to evaluate the cusp merging contribution to the total cross-polar cap potential difference, ≈33.8–43.8 kV. It amounts to a quite significant part of the total cross-polar cap potential difference evaluated from other data. A “shutter” scenario is suggested for the ion beam injection/penetration through the stagnant plasma region in the outer cusp to explain the pulsating nature of the particle injections in the low- and medium-altitude cusp region.  相似文献   

10.
The dynamics of the auroral precipitation boundaries in the daytime (0900–1200 MLT) and nighttime (2100–2400 MLT) sectors during two strong magnetic storms of February 8–9, 1986, and March 13–14, 1989, with a Dst value at a maximum of approximately ?300 and ?600 nT, respectively, are studied using the DMSP satellite data. It is shown that, during the main phase of a storm, a shift to lower latitudes of the poleward and equator ward boundaries of the daytime precipitation is observed. In the nighttime sector, the equatorward boundary of the precipitation also shifts to lower latitudes, whereas the position of the poleward boundary depends weakly on the magnetic activity level even in the periods of very strong magnetic disturbances. The increase in the polar cap area occurs mainly due to the equatorward shift of the daytime precipitation. A high correlation degree between the equatorward shift of the poleward boundary of the daytime precipitation and the position of the equatorward boundary of the precipitation at the nighttime side of the Earth is demonstrated. The analysis of the events shows that (1) the magnetic activity level in the nighttime sector of the auroral zone influences considerably the position of the daytime precipitation boundaries during magnetic storms and that (2) the ring current inputs considerably into the value of the Dst variations.  相似文献   

11.
Two features of giant pulsations (Pgs) which still require an explanation are firstly, why Pgs occur mainly in the early morning sector (i.e. 03:00-07:00 MLT) and not at other times of day, and secondly, why Pgs occur preferentially in a narrow latitudinal band (approximately 63○-68○ geomagnetic latitude). Using statistics from 34 Pg events observed by the EISCAT magnetometer cross, a comparison has been made between the location of the Pg resonant field lines and the equatorward edge of the auroral oval. The majority of these Pg events appear to occur just poleward of this boundary. Using these results, an explanation of the two features of Pgs as detailed above is made. This explanation involves the interaction of protons, which may be responsible for the Pg events, with the inner edge of the plasma sheet or with its ionospheric equivalent, the equatorward edge of the auroral oval.  相似文献   

12.
The 2D morphology of coherent HF radar and optical cusp aurora has been studied for conditions of predominantly southward IMF conditions, which favours low-latitude boundary layer reconnection. Despite the variability in shape of radar cusp Doppler spectra, the spectral width criterion of 220 m s–1 proves to be a robust cusp discriminator. For extended periods of well-developed radar backscatter echoes, the equatorward boundary of the 220 m s–1 spectral width enhancement lines up remarkably well with the equatorward boundary of the optical cusp aurora. The spectral width boundary is however poorly determined during development and fading of radar cusp backscatter. Closer inspection of radar Doppler profile characteristics suggests that a combination of spectral width and shape may advance boundary layer identification by HF radar. For the two December days studied the onset of radar cusp backscatter occurred within pre-existing 630.0 nm cusp auroral activity and appear to be initiated by sunrise, i.e. favourable radio wave propagation conditions had to develop. Better methods are put forward for analysing optical data, and for physical interpretation of HF radar data, and for combining these data, as applied to detection, tracking, and better understanding of dayside aurora. The broader motivation of this work is to develop wider use by the scientific community, of results of these techniques, to accelerate understanding of dynamic high-latitude boundary-processes. The contributions in this work are: (1) improved techniques of analysis of observational data, yielding meaningfully enhanced accuracy for deduced cusp locations; (2) a correspondingly more pronounced validation of correlation of boundary locations derived from the observational data set; and (3) a firmer physical rationale as to why the good correlation observed should theoretically be expected.  相似文献   

13.
场向电流在不同的等离子体区之间传递能量、动量和质量,是磁层与电离层之间的关键耦合过程.本文利用CHAMP卫星高精度的空间磁场测量数据,研究亚暴期间极区电离层场向电流的统计学分布特征.研究表明场向电流的大小与所在位置呈现明显的日夜和晨昏不对称性,具体为：（1）场向电流的大小与亚暴极光电急流指数（AL）密切相连,AL愈大,电流愈强,亚暴期间电流强度相对平静期来说可增加约5倍,昏侧和夜侧电流强度与AL指数的相关性较好,晨侧和白天侧两者相关性较差;（2）电流的峰值密度所在位置与AL指数的相关性不高,昏侧电流所处纬度低于晨侧,而夜晚电流所处纬度低于白天侧.  相似文献   

14.
This review is devoted to auroral fading before beginning of the substorm active phase. This initial stage of the active phase called breakup is accompanied by a sharp brightening of auroras and their rush toward the pole. Auroral fading before breakup was first detected in discrete auroras in the nightside sector and consisted in that a short-term decrease in brightness of an arc moving toward the equator below the level observed during the preliminary phase was observed during the substorm preliminary phase 2–3 min before breakup. During fading, the velocity of equatorward motion of auroral arcs decreased up to their complete stoppage. Auroral fading in the noon sector was registered simultaneously with fading on the Earth’s nightside before the beginning of the active phase. Short-term background fading was also observed both equatorward and poleward of an arc on the nightside. It was subsequently indicated that similar fading is observed in various geophysical phenomena. It was detected that a radar aurora signal fades before breakup, if auroral substorm is observed in a radar pattern and substorm source is located under good aspect conditions. Riometer absorption decreases simultaneously with auroral fading. Geomagnetic pulsations decay on dayside and nightside immediately before breakup. Such a multiform manifestation of fading in various geophysical phenomena indicates that fading is related to some global processes proceeding in the magnetosphere when energy accumulation in this region comes to the end before its explosive release into the polar ionosphere.  相似文献   

15.
The response of the dayside ionospheric flow to a sharp change in the direction of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) measured by the WIND spacecraft from negative Bz and positive By, to positive Bz and small By, has been studied using SuperDARN radar, DMSP satellite, and ground magnetometer data. In response to the IMF change, the flow underwent a transition from a distorted twin-cell flow involving antisunward flow over the polar cap, to a multi-cell flow involving a region of sunward flow at high latitudes near noon. The radar data have been studied at the highest time resolution available (2 min) to determine how this transition took place. It is found that the dayside flow responded promptly to the change in the IMF, with changes in radar and magnetic data starting within a few minutes of the estimated time at which the effects could first have reached the dayside ionosphere. The data also indicate that sunward flows appeared promptly at the start of the flow change (within 2 min), localised initially in a small region near noon at the equatorward edge of the radar backscatter band. Subsequently the region occupied by these flows expanded rapidly east-west and poleward, over intervals of 7 and 14 min respectively, to cover a region at least 2 h wide in local time and 5° in latitude, before rapid evolution ceased in the noon sector. In the lower latitude dusk sector the evolution extended for a further 6 min before quasi-steady conditions again prevailed within the field-of-view. Overall, these observations are shown to be in close conformity with expectations based on prior theoretical discussion, except for the very prompt appearance of sunward flows after the onset of the flow change.  相似文献   

16.
According to observations, the discrete auroral arcs can sometimes be found, either deep inside the auroral oval or at the poleward border of the wide (so-called double) auroral oval, which map to very different regions of the magnetotail. To find common physical conditions for the auroral-arc generation in these magnetotail regions, we study the spatial relationship between the diffuse and discrete auroras and the isotropic boundaries (IBs) of the precipitating energetic particles which can be used to characterise locally the equatorial magnetic field in the tail. From comparison of ground observation of auroral forms with meridional profiles of particle flux measured simultaneously by the low-altitude NOAA satellites above the ground observation region, we found that (1) discrete auroral arcs are always situated polewards from (or very close to) the IB of > 30-keV electrons, whereas (2) the IB of the > 30-keV protons is often seen inside the diffuse aurora. These relationships hold true for both quiet and active (substorm) conditions in the premidnight-nightside (18– 01-h) MLT sector considered. In some events the auroral arcs occupy a wide latitudinal range. The most equatorial of these arcs was found at the poleward edge of the diffuse auroras (but anyway in the vicinity of the electron IB), the most poleward arcs were simultaneously observed on the closed field lines near the polar-cap boundary. These observations disagree with the notion that the discrete aurora originate exclusively in the near-Earth portion of plasma sheet or exclusively on the PSBL field lines. Result (1) may imply a fundamental feature of auroral-arc formation: they originate in the current-sheet regions having very curved and tailward-stretched magnetic field lines.  相似文献   

17.
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18.
Using the empirical magnetic field model dependent on the Dst index and solar wind dynamic pressure, we calculated the behaviour of the contour B = Bs in the equatorial plane of the magnetosphere where Bs is the magnetic field in the subsolar point at the magnetopause. The inner domain of the magnetosphere outlined by this contour contains the bulk of geomag-netically trapped particles. During quiet time the boundary of the inner magnetosphere passes at the distance ∼10RE at noon and at ∼7RE at midnight. During very intense storms this distance can be reduced to 4–5 RE for all MLT. The calculation results agree well with the satellite measurements of the magneto-pause location during storms. The ionospheric projection of the B = Bs contour calculated with the Euler potential technique is close to the equatorward edge of the auroral oval.  相似文献   

19.
The magnetospheric magnetic field may be conveniently described by two scalar functions (α, β), known as the Euler potentials. They are not uniquely defined, and they may be difficult to derive for configuration more complex than a simple dipole. We propose here a simple numerical method to compute one possible pair (α, β). In magnetospheric regions of closed field lines, α can be chosen as a function of the tube volume of unit magnetic flux. The method can be applied to a wide class of magnetic fields which describe the magnetospheric domain of closed field lines and the conjugated ionosphere. Here, it is used with the T87 Tsyganenko model. The results coincide with the dipolar potentials at close distances from the Earth. At larger distances, they display an increasing distortion with the radial distance (or the invariant latitude in the ionosphere) and the magnetic activity. In the magnetosphere, the contours of α and β are stretched towards the nightside. In the ionosphere, they also extend towards the nightside and present major distortions in a narrow ring at the polar cap boundary, which mapsdistant boundary layers in the magnetosphere.  相似文献   

20.
Different types of proton auroras observed by the IMAGE satellite equatorward of the proton aurora oval are briefly reviewed. These auroras are caused by the precipitation of energetic protons from the Earth’s magnetosphere during the development of the ion-cyclotron instability. In addition to the previously considered types of proton auroras (spots, evening arcs, and dayside flashes), a new type is described: longlasting proton auroras on the dayside. The scheme of interrelation between different proton auroras equatorward of the oval with the distribution of cold plasmaspheric plasma is given.  相似文献   

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