Minghua Hong

MHD drift ballooning instability near the inner edge of the near‐Earth plasma sheet and its application to substorm onset

The MHD drift ballooning mode (DBM) instability near the inner edge of the near-Earth plasma sheet is studied by using both the one-fluid generalized progressing wave expansion method and the two-fluid approach. It is found that in the frame of reference at rest relative to the bulk plasma the DBM may become a purely growing mode in two distinct circumstances, which, for convenience, are called the DBM1 and DBM2, respectively. The β threshold for the DBM1 is identical with that derived by Ohtani and Tamao [1993] and Southwood and Kivelson [1987], while the criterion of the DBM2 covers that of Miura et al. [1989]. Comparisons of the theory with GEOS 2 data show that the DBM2 is more easily excited in the late substorm growth phase. There is considerable evidence that the DBM is generated at expansion onsets. The characteristic features of magnetic field dipolarization can be interpreted in terms of the development of the DBM. The extremely thin current sheet cases should be studied with approaches other than those used in this work.

Ballooning instability in the presence of a plasma flow: A synthesis of tail reconnection and current disruption models for the initiation of substorms

The drift ballooning mode (DBM) instability near the inner edge of the plasma sheet (IEPS) is studied further by including a nonstationary earthward flow and flow shear in the analysis. Both equatorial and off-equatorial regions are considered. It is found that the presence of a decelerated earthward flow destabilizes both the M− and M+ branches of the DBM in a large portion of the current sheet near the IEPS and substantially increases the growth rate of the instability. The flow shear in the premidnight sector causes the conventional ballooning mode to weakly subside, while it slightly enhances the growth rate for the Alfvenic ballooning mode. The combination of the earthward flow and flow shear makes both the Alfvenic ballooning mode and conventional ballooning mode grow much faster than they would without the flow, giving rise to coupled Alfvenic slow magnetosonic waves, field-aligned currents, and the formation of a current wedge. A synthesis of tail reconnection and cross-tail current disruption scenarios is proposed for the substorm global initiation process: When the fast flow produced by magnetic reconnection in the midtail abruptly decelerates at the IEPS, it compresses the plasma populations earthward of the front, transports momentum to them, and pushes them farther earthward. This creates the configuration instability in a large portion of the inner tail magnetic field lines on both the tailward side and earthward side of the braking point. As soon as the ionospheric conductance increases over a threshold level, the auroral electrojet is greatly intensified, which leads to the formation of the substorm current wedge and dipolarization of the magnetic field. This substorm paradigm combines the near-Earth neutral line and near-Earth current disruption scenarios for the initiation of substorms and may also synthesize dynamical processes in the rnagnetosphere-ionosphere coupling and field line resonance during the substorm onset. We intend to use this global model to explain substorm expansion onsets occurring under the southward interplanetary magnetic field condition.

A global synthesis model of dipolarization at substorm expansion onset

Abstract In this paper, we describe a global synthesis dipolarization model combining coupled processes in the midtail, inner tail and auroral ionosphere: In the late growth phase, magnetic reconnection releases the magnetic energy stored in the magnetotail. Magnetic flux and energy are transported earthward and tailward. As earthward flow slows down in the near-earth plasma sheet (NEPS), it compresses the magnetic field and plasmas near and earthward of the inner edge of the NEPS and pushes them further inward (earthward and equatorward). This sets up a favorable condition for generating the drift ballooning mode (DBM) instability in the inner tail. The unstable DBMs generate coupled Alfven-slow magnetosonic waves and field-aligned currents (FACs), resulting in a turbulent state in the equatorial region and enhancing the ionospheric conductance Σ. As soon as Σ and FACs increase to a threshold level, the substorm current wedge is formed, leading to an explosive intensification of the auroral electrojet and magnetic field dipolarization at substorm onset. Moreover, we regard the “substorm trigger phase” (Ohtani et al., Planet. Space Sci. 37 (1989) 579–588) as the interval during which the inner tail is being further compressed inward and the DBMs explosively develop to trigger magnetic field dipolarization. We suggest that the dawn-dusk electric field E y which causes further compression of the inner tail may either be associated with flow braking, or produced by storm SSC and other magnetospheric processes. The present model is thus applicable to the cases either with or without neutral-line formation. Furthermore, in the former case, the enhanced E y in the inner tail may either appear somewhat later than or simultaneously with magnetic reconnection in the midtail. It seems that a variety of expansion onset features can be explained in terms of this synthesis dipolarization model.

The transition to overshielding after sharp and gradual interplanetary magnetic field northward turning

Overshielding is referred to a shielding status, during which the dawnward shielding electric field dominates over the duskward penetration electric field in the inner magnetosphere, typically appearing when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) suddenly turns northward after a prolonged southward orientation. It is expected that the transition to overshielding after IMF northward turning can be affected by the shape of northward turning (sharp or gradual). Moreover, the initial shielding status (undershielding or goodshielding) prior to the transition may also have influence on the transition. Here we analyze two groups of cases, in which the transitions appear after sharp (duration less than 5 min) and gradual (duration more than 30 min) northward turning. Each group includes two cases, in which the transition initiated from undershielding and goodshielding. These cases show that (1) the beginning of the transition to overshielding coincides with sharp IMF northward turning but appears in the midst of gradual IMF northward turning; (2) the transition from goodshielding to overshielding is always associated with convection electric field drop and/or polar cap shrinkage, regardless of the shape of IMF northward turning; and (3) the typical solar wind condition in which the IMF suddenly turns northward after a prolonged southward orientation is neither a necessary condition nor a sufficient condition for overshielding. Furthermore, we will discuss the effect of substorm processes on overshielding.

Coordinated observations of magnetospheric reconfiguration during an overshielding event

Chinese Academy of Sciences; CAS; NSFC[40674080, 40390152, 40640420563, 40374061]; NSF Cooperative Agreement[ATM-0432565]

Auroral substorm response to solar wind pressure shock

Two cases of auroral substorms have been studied with the Polar UVI data, which were associated with solar wind pressure shock arriving at the Earth. The global aurora activities started about 1–2 min after pressure shocks arrived at dayside magnetopause, then nightside auroras intensified rapidly 3–4 min later, with auroral substorm onset. The observations in synchronous orbit indicated that the compressing effects on magnetosphere were observed in their corresponding sites about 2 min after the pressure shocks impulse magnetopause. We propose that the auroral intensification and substorm onset possibly result from hydromagnetic wave produced by the pressure shock. The fast-mode wave propagates across the magnetotail lobes with higher local Alfven velocity, magnetotail was compressed rapidly and strong lobe field and cross-tail current were built in about 1–2 min, and furthermore the substorm was triggered due to an instability in current sheet.