K. Shiokawa

Braking of high‐speed flows in the near‐Earth tail

We have studied possible braking mechanisms of high-speed ion flows in the near-Earth central plasma sheet for radial distances between 9 and 19 Earth Radii (RE) on the basis of observations made by the AMPTE/IRM satellite. Flows with velocities in excess of 400 km/s are almost always Earthward for this range, indicating that the source of the flows is beyond 19 RE. Though the occurrence rate of the high-speed flows substantially decreases when the satellite comes closer to the Earth, high-speed flows with velocities higher than 600 km/s are still observed. We suggest that the high-speed flows are stopped at a clear boundary between the regions of dipolar field and tail-like field in the plasma sheet. The boundary corresponds to the inner edge of the neutral sheet. The average jump of the magnetic field at the boundary, which is estimated from the observations by assuming a pressure balance, is 6.7 nT. The inertia current caused by the braking of the flow and the current caused by pileup of the magnetic flux at the stopping point are quantitatively estimated and discussed in relation to the formation of the substorm current wedge.

High‐speed ion flow, substorm current wedge, and multiple Pi 2 pulsations

We have studied the onset timing of earthward high-speed ion flow observed by the AMPTE/IRM satellite at 12.3 Earth radii (RE) and 0100 MLT in the central plasma sheet during an isolated substorm event on March 1, 1985. The timing of this onset is compared with that of the substorm current wedge and Pi 2 magnetic pulsations observed by a large number of ground-based stations and the AMPTE/CCE, GOES 5, and ISEE 1 satellites and with that of high-energy particle injection observed at Los Aimos geosynchronous satellite 1982-019. The onset of earthward high-speed flow is observed 3 min before the onset of the global current wedge formation and 6 min before the onset of high-energy particle injection. The three bursts of the high-speed flow observed at AMPTE/IRM are likely to correspond to three compressional pulses observed at AMPTE/CCE at 6 RE and three Pi 2 wave packets observed at midlatitude ground stations. On the basis of these observations we conclude that the substorm current wedge is caused by inertia current and the current due to flow shear at the braking point of the earthward high-speed flow during the initial stage of the substorm expansion phase. The braking point is well separated from the near-Earth neutral line. It is also suggested that the compressional pulses and fluctuations of field-aligned currents generated at the flow braking point can be the initial cause of the Pi 2 magnetic pulsations in the inner magnetosphere.

Flow braking and the substorm current wedge

Recent models of magnetotail activity have associated the braking of earthward flow with dipolarization and the reduction and diversion of cross-tail current, that is, the signatures of the substorm current wedge. Estimates of the magnitude of the diverted current by Haerendel [1992] and Shiokawa et al. [1997, 1998] tend to be lower than results from computer simulations of magnetotail reconnection and tail collapse [Birn and Hesse, 1996], despite similar underlying models. An analysis of the differences between these estimates on the basis of the simulations gives a more refined picture of the diversion of perpendicular into parallel currents. The inertial currents considered by Haerendel [1992] and Shiokawa et al. [1997] contribute to the initial current reduction and diversion, but the dominant and more permanent contribution stems from the pressure gradient terms, which change in connection with the field collapse and distortion. The major effect results from pressure gradients in the z direction, rather than from the azimuthal gradients [Shiokawa et al., 1998], combined with changes in B y and B x . The reduction of the current density near the equatorial plane is associated with a reduction of the curvature drift which overcompensates changes of the magnetization current and of the gradient B drift current. In contrast to the inertial current effects, the pressure gradient effects persist even after the burst of earthward flow ends.

Precipitation of radiation belt electrons by EMIC waves, observed from ground and space

We show evidence that left-hand polarised electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) plasma waves can cause the loss of relativistic electrons into the atmosphere. Our unique set of ground and satellite observations shows coincident precipitation of ions with energies of tens of keY and of relativistic electrons into an isolated proton aurora. The coincident precipitation was produced by wave-particle interactions with EMIC waves near the plasmapause. The estimation of pitch angle diffusion coefficients supports that the observed EMIC waves caused coincident precipitation ofboth ions and relativistic electrons. This study clarifies that ions with energies of tens of ke V affect the evolution of relativistic electrons in the radiation belts via cyclotron resonance with EMIC waves, an effect that was first theoretically predicted in the early 1970s.

Development of Optical Mesosphere Thermosphere Imagers (OMTI)

The Optical Mesosphere Thermosphere Imagers (OMTI) have been developed to investigate the dynamics of the upper atmosphere through nocturnal airglow emissions. The OMTI consist of an imaging Fabry-Perot interferometer, three all-sky cooled-CCD cameras, three tilting photometers, and a Spectral Airglow Temperature Imager (SATI) with two container houses to install them in. These instruments measure wind, temperature and 2-dimensional airglow patterns in the upper atmosphere at multi-wavelengths of OI (557.7 nm and 630.0 nm), OH (6–2) bands, O2 (0, 1) bands, and Na (589.3 nm), simultaneously. Examples of the data are shown for the cameras, the photometers, and the SATI based on the airglow observation at a mid-latitude station in Japan. Good correlation of the photometer and SATI observations is obtained. A comparison is shown for small- and large-scale wave structures in airglow images at four wavelengths around the mesopause region using four cooled-CCD cameras. We found an event during which large-scale bands, small-scale row-like structures, and large-scale front passage occur simultaneously.

Global imaging of polar cap patches with dual airglow imagers

During a 2 h interval from 2240 to 2440 UT on 12 November 2012, regions of increased 630.0 nm airglow emissions were simultaneously detected by dual all-sky imagers in the polar cap, one at Longyearbyen, Norway (78.1°N, 15.5°E) and the other at Resolute Bay, Canada (74.7°N, 265.1°E). The Resolute Bay incoherent scatter radar observed clear enhancements of the F region electron density up to 1012 m−3 within these airglow structures which indicates that these are optical manifestations of polar cap patches propagating across the polar cap. During this interval of simultaneous airglow imaging, the nightside/dawnside (dayside/duskside) half of the patches was captured by the imager at Longyearbyen (Resolute Bay). This unique situation enabled us to estimate the dawn-dusk extent of the patches to be around 1500 km, which was at least 60–70% of the width of the antisunward plasma stream seen in the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network convection maps. In contrast to the large extent in the dawn-dusk direction, the noon-midnight thickness of each patch was less than 500 km. These observations demonstrate that there exists a class of patches showing cigar-shaped structures. Such patches could be produced in a wide range of local time on the dayside nearly simultaneously and spread across many hours of local time soon after their generation.

Propagation characteristics of nighttime mesospheric and thermospheric waves observed by optical mesosphere thermosphere imagers at middle and low latitudes

We review measurements of nighttime atmospheric/ionospheric waves in the upper atmosphere in Japan, Indonesia, and Australia, using all-sky airglow imagers of optical mesosphere thermosphere imagers (OMTIs). The imagers observe two-dimensional patterns of airglow emissions from oxygen (wavelength: 557.7 nm) and hydroxyl (OH) (near-infrared band) in the mesopause region (80–100 km) and from oxygen (630.0 nm) in the thermosphere/ionosphere (200–300 km). Several statistical studies were done to investigate propagation characteristics of small-scale (less than 100 km) gravity waves in the mesopause region and medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs, ∼100–1,000 km) in the thermosphere/ionosphere. Clear seasonal variations of occurrence and propagation directions were reported for these waves. The propagation directions in the mesopause region are controlled by wind filtering, ducting processes and relative location to the wave sources in the troposphere. Poleward-propagating waves tend to be observed in the summer in the mesopause region at several stations, suggesting that mesospheric gravity waves are generated by intense convective activity in the equatorial troposphere. On the other hand, systematic equatorward and westward motions were observed for all seasons for nighttime MSTIDs in the midlatitude ionosphere with geomagnetic conjugacy between the northern and southern hemispheres. Ionospheric instabilities may play important role for the generation and propagation of these MSTIDs. We also give an example of simultaneous observation of quasi-periodic southward-moving waves in the mesopause region and in the thermosphere at the geographic equator. From these results, we discuss mean wind acceleration by mesospheric gravity waves and penetration of gravity waves from the mesosphere to the thermosphere.

Traveling ionospheric disturbances detected in the FRONT Campaign

The F-region Radio and Optical measurement of Nighttime TID (FRONT) campaign was conducted to clarify the non-classical features of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) at mid-latitudes in May, 1998 and August, 1999. A cluster of all-sky CCD cameras and a GPS receiver network observed a wide area of the ionosphere over Japan to detect the spatial structure and temporal evolution of TIDs. The propagation direction of the nighttime TID detected during the FRONT campaign periods is restricted to the southwest. The time evolution of their amplitude indicates that the TID structure is intensified as it travels from high-latitudes to low-latitudes. The significant coincidence between the structures of 630 nm band airglow and total electron content indicates that the perturbations take place in the bottomside of the ionospheric F region. Coherent echoes from the field-aligned irregularities were observed by the MU radar in the nights when the TID activity was high.

GPS detection of total electron content variations over Indonesia and Thailand following the 26 December 2004 earthquake

We report the response of the ionosphere to the large earthquake that occurred in West Sumatra, Indonesia, at 0058 UT on December 26, 2004. We have analyzed Global Positioning System (GPS) data obtained at two sites in Sumatra and at three sites in Thailand to investigate total electron content (TEC) variations. Between 14 and 40 min after the earthquake, TEC enhancements of 1.6–6.9 TEC units (TECU) were observed at subionospheric points located 360–2000 km north of the epicenter. From the time delays of the observed TEC enhancements, we find that the TEC enhancements propagated northward from the epicenter. The time delays between the earthquake and rapid increases in TEC, which occurred near the epicenter, are consistent with the idea that acoustic waves generated by the earthquake propagated into the ionosphere at the speed of sound to cause the TEC variations. A small TEC enhancement of 0.6 TECU was observed south of the epicenter, while no TEC enhancements were seen east of the epicenter. From a model calculation, we find that this directivity of the TEC variations with respect to the azimuth from the epicenter could be caused partially by the directivity in the response of the electron density variation to the acoustic waves in the neutral atmosphere.

Two spacecraft observations of a reconnection pulse during an auroral breakup

At 1130 UT on November 28, 1995, two spacecraft, Interball-Tail and Geotail, were in a favorable position to study the plasma sheet activity and an auroral breakup observed on the ground near the spacecraft ionospheric footpoints. Both spacecraft were near the neutral sheet, and they were nearly aligned along the magnetic meridian. During the auroral breakup observed at the equatorward half of the auroral oval (also registered as an AKR burst at Interball) both spacecraft simultaneously detected signatures of a reconnection pulse: The earthward plasma streaming and magnetic field dipolarization were observed at 12 R E at Interball, while the tailward energetic ion beam, then the tailward flow and the passage of a plasmoid were observed at 28 R E at Geotail. This pulse seem to proceed inside of the plasma sheet closed field lines, in the region of small (∼ 1nT) background magnetic field at the neutral sheet. At Interball position the onset of fast earthward ion flow, likely initiated by the reconnection pulse, was followed by other manifestations (dipolarization, enhancements of the magnetic turbulence and the energetic particle flux, the intensification of field-aligned currents). Auroral observations showed initial brightening delayed an approximately 1 min after the commencement of the reconnection pulse. The auroral intensification was not accompanied by a significant magnetic disturbance on the ground, and therefore the event can be classified as the pseudobreakup. We estimate magnetic flux transport characteristics and possible location of the onset region in the plasma sheet. We conclude that observations during this event are consistent with the initiation of an auroral breakup by some disturbance (e.g., Alfven wave) generated by the reconnection pulse that commenced in the neutral sheet at ∼15 R E distance.