J. P. Reistad

How the IMF By induces a By component in the closed magnetosphere ‐ and how it leads to asymmetric currents and convection patterns in the two hemispheres

We acknowledge the use of NASA/GSFC’s Space Physics Data Facility for OMNI data. Simulation results have been provided by the Community Coordinated Modeling Center at Goddard Space Flight Center through their public Runs on Request system (http://ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov). The CCMC is a multiagency partnership between NASA, AFMC, AFOSR, AFRL, AFWA, NOAA, NSF, and ONR (Paul-Tenfjord-032514-1). We thank the AMPERE team and the AMPERE Science Center for providing the Iridium-derived data products. This study was supported by the Research Council of Norway/CoE under contract 223252/F50.

Birkeland current effects on high‐latitude ground magnetic field perturbations

Magnetic perturbations on ground at high latitudes are directly associated only with the divergence-free component of the height-integrated horizontal ionospheric current, J⊥,df. Here we show how J⊥,df can be expressed as the total horizontal current J⊥ minus its curl-free component, the latter being completely determined by the global Birkeland current pattern. Thus, in regions where J⊥=0, the global Birkeland current distribution alone determines the local magnetic perturbation. We show with observations from ground and space that in the polar cap, the ground magnetic field perturbations tend to align with the Birkeland current contribution in darkness but not in sunlight. We also show that in sunlight, the magnetic perturbations are typically such that the equivalent overhead current is antiparallel to the convection, indicating that the Hall current system dominates. Thus, the ground magnetic field in the polar cap relates to different current systems in sunlight and in darkness.

Intensity asymmetries in the dusk sector of the poleward auroral oval due to IMF B x

In the exploration of global-scale features of the Earths aurora, little attention has been given to the radial component of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF). This study investigates the global auroral response in both hemispheres when the IMF is southward and lies in the xz plane. We present a statistical study of the average auroral response in the 12-24 magnetic local time (MLT) sector to an x component in the IMF. Maps of auroral intensity in both hemispheres for two IMF Bx dominated conditions (± IMF Bx) are shown during periods of negative IMF Bz, small IMF By, and local winter. This is obtained by using global imaging from the Wideband Imaging Camera on the IMAGE satellite. The analysis indicates a significant asymmetry between the two IMF Bx dominated conditions in both hemispheres. In the Northern Hemisphere the aurora is brighter in the 15-19 MLT region during negative IMF Bx. In the Southern Hemisphere the aurora is brighter in the 16-20 MLT sector during positive IMF Bx. We interpret the results in the context of a more efficient solar wind dynamo in one hemisphere. Both the intensity asymmetry and its location are consistent with this idea. This has earlier been suggested from case studies of simultaneous observations of the aurora in both hemispheres, but hitherto never been observed to have a general impact on global auroral brightness in both hemispheres from a statistical study. The observed asymmetries between the two IMF B x cases are not large; however, the difference is significant with a 95% confidence level. As the solar wind conditions examined in the study are rather common (37% of the time) the accumulative effect of this small influence may be important for the total energy budget.

The impact of sunlight on high‐latitude equivalent currents

Ground magnetic field measurements can be mathematically related to an overhead ionospheric equivalent current. In this study we look in detail at how the global equivalent current, calculated using more than 30 years of SuperMAG magnetometer data, changes with sunlight conditions. The calculations are done using spherical harmonic analysis in quasi-dipole coordinates, a technique which leads to improved accuracy compared to previous studies. Sorting the data according to the location of the sunlight terminator and orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), we find that the equivalent current resembles ionospheric convection patterns on the sunlit side of the terminator but not on the dark side. On the dark side, with southward IMF, the current is strongly dominated by a dawn cell and the current across the polar cap has a strong dawnward component. The contrast between the sunlit and dark side increases with increasing values of the

Characteristics of the flank magnetopause: Cluster observations

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Dynamic effects of restoring footpoint symmetry on closed magnetic field lines

index, showing that increasing solar EUV flux changes not only the magnitude but also the morphology of the equivalent current system. The results are consistent with a recent study showing that Birkeland currents indirectly determine the equivalent current in darkness and that Hall currents dominate in sunlight. This has implication for the interpretation of ground magnetic field measurements and suggests that the magnetic disturbances at conjugate points will be asymmetrical when the solar illumination is different.

Magnetospheric response and reconfiguration times following IMF By reversals

The magnetopause is a current sheet forming the boundary between the geomagnetic field on one side and the shocked solar wind on the other side. This paper discusses properties of the low-latitude dawn and dusk flanks of the magnetopause. The reported results are based on a large number of measurements obtained by the Cluster satellites during magnetopause traversals. Using a combination of single-spacecraft and multispacecraft techniques, we calculated macroscopic features such as thickness, location, and motion of the magnetopause. The results show that the typical flank magnetopause is significantly thicker than the dayside magnetopause and also possesses a pronounced and persistent dawn-dusk asymmetry. Thicknesses vary from 150 to 5000 km, with an median thickness of around 1400 km at dawn and around 1150 km at dusk. Current densities are on average higher on dusk, suggesting that the total current at dawn and dusk are similar. Solar wind conditions and the interplanetary magnetic field cannot fully explain the observed dawn-dusk asymmetry. For a number of crossings we were also able to derive detailed current density profiles. The profiles show that the magnetopause often consists of two or more adjacent current sheets, each current sheet typically several ion gyroradii thick and often with different current direction. This demonstrates that the flank magnetopause has a structure that is more complex than the thin, one-dimensional current sheet described by a Chapman-Ferraro layer.

Dayside and nightside magnetic field responses at 780 km altitude to dayside reconnection

Here we present an event where simultaneous global imaging of the aurora from both hemispheres reveals a large longitudinal shift of the nightside aurora of about 3 h, being the largest relative shift reported on from conjugate auroral imaging. This is interpreted as evidence of closed field lines having very asymmetric footpoints associated with the persistent positive y component of the interplanetary magnetic field before and during the event. At the same time, the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network observes the ionospheric nightside convection throat region in both hemispheres. The radar data indicate faster convection toward the dayside in the dusk cell in the Southern Hemisphere compared to its conjugate region. We interpret this as a signature of a process acting to restore symmetry of the displaced closed magnetic field lines resulting in flux tubes moving faster along the banana cell than the conjugate orange cell. The event is analyzed with emphasis on Birkeland currents (BC) associated with this restoring process, as recently described by Tenfjord et al. (2015). Using data from the Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment (AMPERE) during the same conditions as the presented event, the large-scale BC pattern associated with the event is presented. It shows the expected influence of the process of restoring symmetry on BCs. We therefore suggest that these observations should be recognized as being a result of the dynamic effects of restoring footpoint symmetry on closed field lines in the nightside.

North‐south asymmetries in cold plasma density in the magnetotail lobes: Cluster observations

The OMNI and GOES data are found here: http://cdaweb.gsfc.nasa.gov. SuperMAG data are available here: http://supermag.jhuapl.edu/. Scientists interested in other data used should contact the corresponding author.

Solar Wind and Seasonal Influence on Ionospheric Currents From Swarm and CHAMP Measurements

The authors are thankful for inspirational discussions with J.W. Gjerloev and R. Strangeway. This study was funded by the Research Council of Norway under contracts 216872/F50 and 223252/F50 (CoE). We thank the AMPERE team and the AMPERE Science Center for providing the Iridium-derived data products. The AMPERE data are available at ampere.jhuapl.edu. We acknowledge the Cluster FGM PI Chris Carr, the Cluster CIS PI Iannis Dandouras, and ESA Cluster Science Archive for making the Cluster data available.