R. A. Hoffman

Electrodynamic parameters in the nighttime sector during auroral substorms

The characteristics of the large-scale electrodynamic parameters, field-aligned currents (FACs), electric fields, and electron precipitation, which are associated with auroral substorm events in the nighttime sector, have been obtained through a unique analysis which places the ionospheric measurements of these parameters into the context of a generic substorm determined from global auroral images. A generic bulge-type auroral emission region has been deduced from auroral images taken by the Dynamics Explorer 1 (DE 1) satellite during a number of isolated substorms, and the form has been divided into six sectors, based on the peculiar emission characteristics in each sector: west of bulge, surge horn, surge, middle surge, eastern bulge, and east of bulge. By comparing the location of passes of the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) satellite to the simultaneously obtained auroral images, each pass is placed onto the generic aurora. The organization of DE 2 data in this way has systematically clarified peculiar characteristics in the electrodynamic parameters. An upward net current mainly appears in the surge, with little net current in the surge horn and the west of bulge. The downward net current is distributed over wide longitudinal regions from the eastern bulge to the east of bulge. Near the poleward boundary of the expanding auroral bulge, a pair of oppositely directed FAC sheets is observed, with the downward FAC on the poleward side. This downward FAC and most of the upward FAC in the surge and the middle surge are associated with narrow, intense antisunward convection, corresponding to an equatorward directed spikelike electric field. This pair of currents decreases in amplitude and latitudinal width toward dusk in the surge and the west of bulge, and the region 1 and 2 FACs become embedded in the sunward convection region. The upward FAC region associated with the spikelike field on the poleward edge of the bulge coincides well with intense electron precipitation and aurora appearing in this western and poleward portion of the bulge. The convection reversal is sharp in the west of bulge and surge horn sectors, and near the high-latitude boundary of the upward region 1 FAC. In the surge, the convection reversal is near the low-latitude boundary of the upward region 1, with a near stagnation region often extending over a large interval of latitude. In the eastern bulge and east of bulge sectors, the region 1 and 2 FACs are located in the sunward convection region, while a spikelike electric field occasionally appears poleward of the aurora but usually not associated with a pair of FAC sheets. In the eastern bulge, magnetic field data show complicated FAC distributions which correspond to current segments and filamentary currents.

Characteristics of the field‐aligned current system in the nighttime sector during auroral substorms

Fujii et al. (1994) obtained characteristics of the electrodynamic parameters, that is, field-aligned currents, electric fields, and electron precipitation, which are associated with auroral substorm events in the nighttime sector, through a unique analysis that places the ionospheric measurements of these parameters into the context of a generic substorm determined from global auroral images. In this paper we investigate in considerably more detail the characteristics of the field-aligned currents using data from the same set of passes as the previous study. We show for the first time that the net upward field-aligned currents throughout the surge and surge horn are sufficient to account for most if not all of the converging currents of the auroral electrojets. Current densities are largest in the surge and surge horn. Current region continuity does not appear to exist across the substorm bulge region. Much of the auroral substorm field-aligned current is composed of filamentary currents and finite current segments at large angles to each other. The westward electrojet may contain large gradients in intensity both in local time and latitude due to sets of localized field-aligned currents. The net downward current for several hours to the west of the surge is insufficient to account for the eastward electrojet, consistent with the concept that this electrojet originates primarily on the dayside. Our pattern of field-aligned currents associated with the surge has common features and also differs significantly from the patterns previously derived from data from radars and ground-based magnetometer arrays. Our pattern is considerably more complex, probably due to the much higher resolution in latitude of the satellite data. It is also larger in area, since our average substorm is much larger than those pertaining to the previous patterns, giving a substorm wedge considerably wider than that obtained from the radar and array data.

Height‐integrated conductivity in auroral substorms: 1. Data

We present height-integrated Hall and Pedersen conductivity (conductance) calculations from 31 individual Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) substorm crossings. All are northern hemisphere (except one) nighttime passes which took place from September 1981 to January 1982. Global auroral images are used to select substorms which display a typical bulge-type auroral emission pattern and to organize the position of individual DE 2 passes with respect to key features in the emission pattern. The Hall and Pedersen conductances are calculated from electron precipitation data obtained by the low altitude plasma instrument (LAPI) carried on DE 2 and the monoenergetic conductance model by Reiff [1984]. This method is shown to effectively minimize undesirable smearing of parameters in statistical substorm studies. Large spatial gradients in the conductance profiles are common in high-latitude part of the premidnight substorm region. The conductances maximizes in the high-latitude part of the surge with average Hall and Pedersen conductances of 38 and 18 mho respectively. During six different DE 2 passes we found Hall conductance peaks exceeding 100 mho in the high-latitude part of the surge or surge horn. These peaks are highly localized with a typical scale size of ∼20 km and are associated with energetic (>10 keV) inverted V events. Except in the low-latitude part of the auroral oval the Hall to Pedersen ratio equals or exceeds 1.0, and it peaks in the high-latitude part of the surge where values of 3 or more are common. The latitudinal conductance profiles are strongly asymmetric and have a pronounced local time dependency.

Current carriers for the field-aligned current system

Abstract Recently the Dynamics Explorer satellites have returned a large body of data containing high resolution magnetometer measurements and distributions of charged particles of all but thermal electrons. From these data a systematic study has begun of the relations of the field-aligned currents to particle precipitation structures and the identification of the charge carriers. The data have been separated into three levels of magnetic activity and three local time sectors. Results of this study include the following: 1. During very quiet periods, field-aligned currents exist primarily as fine structure. 2. During onset of substorms, Region 1 and Region 2 become clearly evident but contain significant structure. 3. As magnetic activity subsides, current regions become less distinct, and structure becomes more dominant. 4. The distribution of the upward currents derived from magnetometer data and calculated from suprathermal electron data agree remarkably well in shape but not necessarily in magnitude. 5. At all local times, >5 eV electrons seldom carry most of the upward current. 6. Except for the accelerated Inverted-V electrons, the dominant upward current carriers which are measured are below 500 eV and are distributed in energy. 7. Dusk upward currents (Region 1) are associated with the Boundary Plasma Sheet (BPS). 8. Suprathermal electron bursts are important current carrying structures.

Effects of a lightning discharge detected by the DE 2 satellite over Hurricane Debbie

We report the satellite observation of a large, ∼40 mV m−1, transient electric field disturbance over Hurricane Debbie in September 1982. The event lasted less than a second and correlated closely with a burst of highly field-aligned, upward moving electrons with nearly 1 keV of energy. The electric field event is viewed as a spheric disturbance from a lightning discharge in the active weather system located beneath the satellite. A spheric interpretation of the observed electric field transient is consistent with a subsequent observation of energetic electrons precipitating from the radiation belts. Measured quasi-dc electric fields and cold plasma density variations are only roughly consistent with model predictions for ULF wave propagation from a storm system to the ionosphere. To understand this first observation of upward moving electrons in the ionosphere associated with a lightning event, we compare the several mechanisms for electron acceleration by electric fields with components (E∥) along the magnetic field. In our scenario, “runaway” electrons were accelerated in ∼1 ms by a downward directed E∥ pulse of ∼1 V m−1 magnitude. Such fields can result from rapidly exposed, negative space charges near the tops of clouds during positive cloud-to-ground discharges. High-frequency Fourier components of the E∥ pulse must propagate through the low-conducting nighttime atmosphere to the ionosphere with little dissipation.

Satellite measurements through the center of a substorm surge

Measurements have been made of electric and magnetic fields, plasma drifts, and electron precipitation within a surge at the westward, leading edge of the auroral “bulge” at the peak of the substorm expansion phase. The trajectory of the DE 2 satellite over the auroral emissions is determined from nearly simultaneous observations with the imager on the DE 1 satellite at a higher altitude. The electric field and plasma drift measurements have enabled us to deduce the basic configuration of the ionospheric electric potential, or plasma convection, around the surge. The electric potential shows that the bulge is associated with a protrusion of the dawn convection cell into the dusk cell, poleward of the “Harang discontinuity”. This protrusion contains a westward electric field that strongly enhances the westward electrojet current by the creation of a “Cowling channel”. This westward electric field, and the associated Cowling current, appear to terminate within the surge, which contains an intense, upward field-aligned current. The magnetic field measurements show that the region containing this field-aligned current is shaped more like a cylinder rather than a long sheet. The total current is found to exceed one-half million amperes.

Electron precipitation accompanying Pc 5 pulsations observed by the DE satellites and at a ground station

Using data from the polar orbiting Dynamic Explorer (DE) −1 and −2 satellites and a ground-based station, we investigated electron precipitation phenomena accompanying Pc 5 pulsations. DE-2 observed oscillatory disturbances in the magnetic and electric fields in the upper ionosphere at the geomagnetic footprint of the high altitude region in which transverse Pc 5 pulsations were detected by DE-1. DE-2 observed electrons precipitating into the ionosphere with energies of several keV to several tens of keV. These electrons were accelerated in the direction of the ambient magnetic field. When Pc 5 pulsations in the H-component and periodic variations of cosmic radio noise absorption (CNA pulsations) were observed at Syowa Station, DE-2 which was in geomagnetic conjunction with Syowa Station also observed oscillatory disturbances in the magnetic and electric fields. These oscillatory disturbances are caused by small-scale field-aligned currents each with width of 0.5°–1.4° invariant latitude. This suggests that Pc 5 pulsations have a small-scale resonance structure in the radial direction. The resonance structure has a small scale comparable to the ion acoustic gyroradius, then kinetic Alfven waves having electric fields parallel to the ambient magnetic field can arise. The parallel electric field generates a field-aligned potential drop of about 3–5 kV. Electrons accelerated by these kinetic Alfven waves would cause CNA pulsations, the phase of which leads that of the H-component of the Pc 5 pulsations by 90° in the southern hemisphere. This is consistent with the observations at Syowa Station.

Auroral ionospheric signatures of the plasma sheet boundary layer in the evening sector

We report on particles and fields observed during Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F9 and DE 2 crossings of the polar cap/auroral oval boundary in the evening MLT sector. Season-dependent, latitudinally narrow regions of rapid, eastward plasma flows were encountered by DMSP near the poleward boundary of auroral electron precipitation. Ten DE 2 orbits exhibiting electric field spikes that drive these plasma flows were chosen for detailed analysis. The boundary region is characterized by pairs of oppositely-directed, field-aligned current sheets. The more poleward of the two current sheets is directed into the ionosphere. Within this downward current sheet, precipitating electrons either had average energies of a few hundred eV or were below polar rain flux levels. Near the transition to upward currents, DE 2 generally detected intense fluxes of accelerated electrons and weak fluxes of ions, both with average energies between 5 and 12 keV. In two instances, precipitating ions with energies >5 keV spanned both current sheets. Comparisons with satellite measurements at higher altitudes suggest that the particles and fields originated in the magnetotail inside the distant reconnection region and propagated to Earth through the plasma sheet boundary layer. Auroral electrons are accelerated by parallel electric fields produced by the different pitch angle distributions of protons and electrons in this layer interacting with the near-Earth magnetic mirror. Electric field spikes driving rapid plasma flows along the poleward boundaries of intense, keV electron precipitation represent ionospheric responses to the field-aligned currents and conductivity gradients. The generation of field-aligned currents in the boundary layer may be understood qualitatively as resulting from the different rates of earthward drift for electrons and protons in the magnetotails current sheet.

The large-scale current system during auroral substorms

We present an empirical model of the equivalent current system in the ionosphere during the peak of a classical bulge-type auroral substorm. This model is derived from measurements made by ~110 ground magnetometer stations during 116 substorms. The data are temporally and spatially organized using global auroral images obtained by the Polar Visible Imaging System Earth Camera. The empirical equivalent current system displays three key features: a poleward shift of the westward electrojet connecting the postmidnight and premidnight components; a polar cap swirl; and significantly different magnitudes of the postmidnight and premidnight westward electrojets. This leads us to propose a two-wedge current system linking the ionosphere to the magnetosphere. The bulge current wedge is located in the premidnight region just equatorward of the open-closed field line boundary while another three-dimensional current system is located in the postmidnight region well within the auroral oval. We use Biot and Savart calculations and Tsyganenko mapping and show that this new model is a likely solution for the large-scale current system.

The convection electric field in auroral substorms

Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) electric field and ion drift data are used in a statistical study of the ionospheric convection electric field in bulge-type auroral substorms. Thirty-one individual DE 2 substorm crossings were carefully selected and organized by the use of global auroral images obtained by DE 1. The selected passes, which occurred during substorm expansion phase, maximum, or early recovery phase, cover the entire nighttime substorm. The organization of the data used the method developed by Fujii et al. [1994], which divided the data into six local time sectors covering the nighttime substorm region. Following the procedures employed in the paper by Gjerloev and Hoffman [2000b], the latitudinal width and location of each auroral oval crossing was then adjusted to fit the sector average. In addition to the detailed study of the characteristics of the field within each sector this database enabled us to compile a model of the ionospheric convection electric field. The characteristics of the premidnight convection reversal show a pronounced local time dependency. Far west of the surge it is a fairly well defined point reversal or convection shear. Approaching the surge and within the surge it is a region of weak electric fields increasing in width toward midnight that separates regions of equatorward and poleward electric fields. Therefore we adopt the term Harang region rather than the Harang discontinuity for the premidnight convection reversal. A relatively narrow convection channel is coincident with the highest conductances located just poleward of the Harang region. This channel drives the substorm current wedge component of the westward electrojet in the surge and middle surge sectors. It is present in all premidnight passes and consequently is an integral part of the three-dimensional substorm current wedge system.