scholarly journals A statistical study of the inner edge of the electron plasma sheet and the net convection potential as a function of geomagnetic activity

2011 ◽  
Vol 116 (A6) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Jiang ◽  
M. G. Kivelson ◽  
R. J. Walker ◽  
K. K. Khurana ◽  
V. Angelopoulos ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niloufar Nowrouzi ◽  
Lynn Kistler ◽  
Eric Lund ◽  
Kai Zhao

<p>Sawtooth events are repeated injections of energetic particles at geosynchronous orbit. Although studies have shown that 94% of sawtooth events occur during  magnetic storm times, the main factor that causes a sawtooth event is unknown. Simulations have suggested that heavy ions like O<sup>+</sup> may play a role in driving the sawtooth mode by increasing the magnetotail pressure and causing the magnetic tail to stretch. O<sup>+</sup> ions located in the nightside auroral region have a direct access to the near-earth plasma-sheet. O<sup>+</sup> in the dayside cusp can reach to the midtail plasma-sheet when the convection velocity is sufficiently strong. Whether the dayside or nightside source is more important is not known.</p><p>We show results of a statistical study of the variation of the O+ and H+ outflow flux during sawtooth events for SIR and ICME sawtooth events. We perform a superposed epoch analysis of the ion outflow using the TEAMS (Time-of-Flight Energy Angle Mass Spectrograph) instrument on the FAST spacecraft. TEAMS measures the ion composition over the energy range of 1 eV e<sup>-1</sup> to 12 keV e<sup>-1</sup>.  We have done major corrections and calibrations (producing 3D data set, anode calibration, mass classification, removing ram effect and incorporating dead time corrections) on TEAMS data and produced a data set for four data species (H<sup>+</sup>, O<sup>+</sup>, and He<sup>+</sup>). From 1996 to 2007, we have data for 133 orbits of CME-driven and for 103 orbits of SIR-driven sawtooth events with an altitude above 1500 km. We found that:</p><ul><li>the averaged O<sup>+</sup> outflow flux is more intense in the cusp dayside than in the nightside, before and after onset time.</li> <li><span>Before onset, an intense averaged outflow flux in the dawnside of CME events is seen. This outflow decreases after onset time.</span></li> <li><span>In both CME-driven and SIR-driven, the averaged O</span><sup>+</sup><span> outflow increases after onset time, in the nightside, cusp dayside. This increase is greater on the nightside than in the cusp.</span></li> </ul><p>We will develop this study by performing a similar statistical study for H<sup>+</sup> outflow and finally will compare the H<sup>+</sup> result with the O<sup>+ </sup>result.</p>


2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 2695-2700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu.I Yermolaev ◽  
A.A Petrukovich ◽  
L.M Zelenyi

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanqiang Chen ◽  
Mingyu Wu ◽  
Guoqiang Wang ◽  
Zonghao Pan ◽  
Tielong Zhang

<p>Field-aligned currents (FACs), also known as Birkeland currents, are the agents by which momentum and energy can be transferred to the ionosphere from solar wind and the magnetosphere, exhibiting a seasonal variation as that of ionospheric conductance at low altitude. By using magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Magntospheric Multiscale (MMS), we estimated the properties of the small-scale FACs in the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) region. The occurrence rates of those FACs are larger near the midnight plane and near the flank region; they are also larger in the northern (summer) hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere, especially for the earthward FACs. Different distribution patterns as a function of plasma β are found for the Beam-type FACs and the Flow-type FACs (accompanied with observable perpendicular currents). The latter are closer to central plasma sheet (higher β) and their occurrence rate decreases linearly toward tail lobe (lower β), while the former mainly appear within the β range of 0.1 to 1. FAC magnitudes show little dependence on plasma β, while they would increase when approaching Earth generally. The occurrence rate and magnitude of FACs both increase from low to high geomagnetic activity, consistent with observation at ionospheric altitude. The main carriers for FACs in PSBL are thermal electrons, while cold electrons sometimes could also have contribution, especially under high geomagnetic activity. This study shows that FACs in the PSBL exhibit an asymmetry of occurrence rate between the northern and southern hemisphere and different signatures under low and high geomagnetic activity, which are consistent with FACs at ionospheric altitude. This demonstrates that FACs are significant in magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling and illustrates the possible ionospheric feedback effects to magnetosphere in the nightside.</p>


1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 749-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Wright ◽  
T. K. Yeoman ◽  
T. B. Jones

Abstract. Ultra low frequency (ULF) wave activity in the high-latitude ionosphere has been observed by a high frequency (HF) Doppler sounder located at Tromsø, Norway (69.7°N, 19.2°E geographic coordinates). A statistical study of the occurrence of these waves has been undertaken from data collected between 1979 and 1984. The diurnal, seasonal, solar cycle and geomagnetic activity variations in occurrence have been investigated. The findings demonstrate that the ability of the sounder to detect ULF wave signatures maximises at the equinoxes and that there is a peak in occurrence in the morning sector. The occurrence rate is fairly insensitive to changes associated with the solar cycle but increases with the level of geomagnetic activity. As a result, it has been possible to characterise the way in which prevailing ionospheric and magnetospheric conditions affect such observations of ULF waves.Key words. Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; ionosphere -magnetosphere interactions) · Magnetospheric physics (MHD waves and instabilities)


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