R. C. Fear

Direct observation of closed magnetic flux trapped in the high-latitude magnetosphere

The structure of Earth’s magnetosphere is poorly understood when the interplanetary magnetic field is northward. Under this condition, uncharacteristically energetic plasma is observed in the magnetotail lobes, which is not expected in the textbook model of the magnetosphere. Using satellite observations, we show that these lobe plasma signatures occur on high-latitude magnetic field lines that have been closed by the fundamental plasma process of magnetic reconnection. Previously, it has been suggested that closed flux can become trapped in the lobe and that this plasma-trapping process could explain another poorly understood phenomenon: the presence of auroras at extremely high latitudes, called transpolar arcs. Observations of the aurora at the same time as the lobe plasma signatures reveal the presence of a transpolar arc. The excellent correspondence between the transpolar arc and the trapped closed flux at high altitudes provides very strong evidence of the trapping mechanism as the cause of transpolar arcs. Plasma observed in magnetotail lobes results from trapped magnetic flux and is also manifested as transpolar arc auroras. How trans-polar arcs transpire above Auroral arcs within the polar cap are a visual marvel, and they may also indicate trapped energetic plasma in Earths magnetosphere. Fear et al. combined simultaneous observations of both the aurora and signatures of the trapped plasma in Earths magnetotail to demonstrate one recent instance of this phenomenon. Some researchers have proposed that flux generated by magnetic reconnection might get trapped in the magnetotail lobe, but the standard magnetosphere model does not predict it. This study confirms the idea by taking advantage of a period when the interplanetary magnetic field points northward, a state not yet well understood. Science, this issue p. 1506

Saturn's elusive nightside polar arc

Nightside polar arcs are some of the most puzzling auroral emissions at Earth. They are features which extend from the nightside auroral oval into the open magnetic field line region (polar cap), and they represent optical signatures of magnetotail dynamics. Here we report the first observation of an arc at Saturn, which is attached at the nightside main oval and extends into the polar cap region, resembling a terrestrial transpolar arc. We show that Earth-like polar arcs can exceptionally occur in a fast rotational and internally influenced magnetosphere such as Saturns. Finally, we discuss the possibility that the polar arc at Saturn is related to tail reconnection and we address the role of solar wind in the magnetotail dynamics at Saturn.

Timescales for the penetration of IMF By into the Earth's magnetotail

Previous studies have shown that there is a correlation between the By component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and the By component observed in the magnetotail lobe and in the plasma sheet. However, studies of the effect of IMF By on several magnetospheric processes have indicated that the By component in the tail should depend more strongly on the recent history of the IMF By rather than on the simultaneous measurements of the IMF. Estimates of this timescale vary from ∼25 min to ∼4 h. We present a statistical study of how promptly the IMF By component is transferred into the neutral sheet, based on Cluster observations of the neutral sheet from 2001 to 2008, and solar wind data from the OMNI database. Five thousand nine hundred eighty-two neutral sheet crossings during this interval were identified, and starting with the correlation between instantaneous measurements of the IMF and the magnetotail (recently reported by Cao et al. (2014)), we vary the time delay applied to the solar wind data. Our results suggest a bimodal distribution with peaks at ∼1.5 and ∼3 h. The relative strength of each peak appears to be well controlled by the sign of the IMF Bz component with peaks being observed at 1 h of lag time for southward IMF and up to 5 h for northward IMF conditions, and the magnitude of the solar wind velocity with peaks at 2 h of lag time for fast solar wind and 4 h for slow solar wind conditions.

Dayside reconnection under interplanetary magnetic field By‐dominated conditions: The formation and movement of bending arcs

Based upon a survey of global auroral images collected by the Polar Ultraviolet Imager, Kullen et?al. (2002) subdivided polar cap auroral arcs into a number of categories, including that of “bending” arcs. We are concerned with those bending arcs that appear as a bifurcation of the dayside auroral oval and which subsequently form a spur intruding into the polar cap. Once formed, the spur moves poleward and antisunward over the lifetime of the arc. We propose that dayside bending arcs are ionospheric signatures of pulses of dayside reconnection and are therefore part of a group of transient phenomena associated with flux transfer events. We observe the formation and subsequent motion of a bending arc across the polar cap during a 30 min interval on 8 January 1999, and we show that this example is consistent with the proposed model. We quantify the motion of the arc and find it to be commensurate with the convection flows observed by both ground-based radar observations and space-based particle flow measurements. In addition, precipitating particles coincident with the arc appear to occur along open field lines, lending further support to the model.

The effect of diamagnetic drift on motion of the dayside magnetopause reconnection line

Magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause occurs with a large density asymmetry and for a large range of magnetic shears. In these conditions, a motion of the X line has been predicted in the direction of the electron diamagnetic drift. When this motion is super Alfvenic, reconnection should be suppressed. We analysed a large data set of Double Star TC-1 dayside magnetopause crossings, which includes reconnection and nonreconnection events. Moreover, it also includes several events during which TC-1 is near the X line. With these close events, we verified the diamagnetic suppression condition with local observations near the X line. Moreover, with the same close events, we also studied the motion of the X line along the magnetopause. It is found that, when reconnection is not suppressed, the X line moves northward or southward according to the orientation of the guide field, which is related to the interplanetary magnetic field BY component, in agreement with the diamagnetic drift.

The interaction between transpolar arcs and cusp spots

Transpolar arcs and cusp spots are both auroral phenomena which occur when the interplanetary magnetic field is northward. Transpolar arcs are associated with magnetic reconnection in the magnetotail, which closes magnetic flux and results in a “wedge” of closed flux which remains trapped, embedded in the magnetotail lobe. The cusp spot is an indicator of lobe reconnection at the high-latitude magnetopause; in its simplest case, lobe reconnection redistributes open flux without resulting in any net change in the open flux content of the magnetosphere. We present observations of the two phenomena interacting—i.e., a transpolar arc intersecting a cusp spot during part of its lifetime. The significance of this observation is that lobe reconnection can have the effect of opening closed magnetotail flux. We argue that such events should not be rare.

The statistical difference between bending arcs and regular polar arcs

In this work, the Polar UVI data set by Kullen et al. (2002) of 74 polar arcs is reinvestigated, focusing on bending arcs. Bending arcs are typically faint and form (depending on interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) By direction) on the dawnside or duskside oval with the tip of the arc splitting off the dayside oval. The tip subsequently moves into the polar cap in the antisunward direction, while the arcs nightside end remains attached to the oval, eventually becoming hook-shaped. Our investigation shows that bending arcs appear on the opposite oval side from and farther sunward than most regular polar arcs. They form during By-dominated IMF conditions: typically, the IMF clock angle increases from 60 to 90° about 20?min before the arc forms. Antisunward plasma flows from the oval into the polar cap just poleward of bending arcs are seen in Super Dual Auroral Radar Network data, indicating dayside reconnection. For regular polar arcs, recently reported characteristics are confirmed in contrast to bending arcs. This includes plasma flows along the nightside oval that originate close to the initial arc location and a significant delay in the correlation between IMF By and initial arc location. In our data set, the highest correlations are found with IMF By appearing at least 1–2?h before arc formation. In summary, bending arcs are distinctly different from regular arcs and cannot be explained by existing polar arc models. Instead, these results are consistent with the formation mechanism described in Carter et al. (2015), suggesting that bending arcs are caused by dayside reconnection.

Solar illumination control of ionospheric outflow above polar cap arcs

We measure the flux density, composition, and energy of outflowing ions above the polar cap, accelerated by quasi-static electric fields parallel to the magnetic field and associated with polar cap arcs, using Cluster. Mapping the spacecraft position to its ionospheric foot point, we analyze the dependence of these parameters on the solar zenith angle (SZA). We find a clear transition at SZA between ∼94° and ∼107°, with the O+ flux higher above the sunlit ionosphere. This dependence on the illumination of the local ionosphere indicates that significant O+ upflow occurs locally above the polar ionosphere. The same is found for H+, but to a lesser extent. This effect can result in a seasonal variation of the total ion upflow from the polar ionosphere. Furthermore, we show that low-magnitude field-aligned potential drops are preferentially observed above the sunlit ionosphere, suggesting a feedback effect of ionospheric conductivity.

Transpolar arc observation after solar wind entry into the high-latitude magnetosphere

Recently, Cluster observations have revealed the presence of new regions of solar wind plasma entry at the high-latitude magnetospheric lobes tailward of the cusp region, mostly during periods of northward interplanetary magnetic field. In this study, observations from the Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) experiment on board the TIMED spacecraft and Wideband Imaging Camera imager on board the IMAGE satellite are used to investigate a possible link between solar wind entry and the formation of transpolar arcs in the polar cap. We focus on a case when transpolar arc formation was observed twice right after the two solar wind entry events were detected by the Cluster spacecraft. In addition, GUVI and IMAGE observations show a simultaneous occurrence of auroral activity at low and high latitudes after the second entry event, possibly indicating a two-part structure of the continuous band of the transpolar arc.

A sequence of flux transfer events potentially generated by different generation mechanisms

Flux transfer events (FTEs) are magnetic structures generated by time-varying reconnection at the dayside magnetopause. Understanding their generation mechanism is important, because it is necessary in order to understand the global contribution of FTEs to the convection process. We present observations of several FTEs sequentially observed by Cluster at the subsolar magnetopause. Cluster detected also several reconnection jets, which seem to be systematically associated with the trailing edge of the FTEs. This association is expected only in the FTEs formed by single X line reconnection but could be compatible also with the multiple X line model, when reconnection at one X line is dominant. Instead, it does not seem compatible with original mechanism proposed by Russell and Elphic (1978). For a large FTE, not associated with any reconnection jet, the Grad-Shafranov reconstruction obtained from Cluster 1 data recovers a flux rope, indicative of multiple X line reconnection. This same FTE was detected also by Cluster 3, which observed an asymmetric signature in the magnetic field component normal to the magnetopause. We show that this asymmetric signature was caused by an outward motion of the magnetopause. The orientation of the other FTEs, obtained from a Grad-Shafranov optimization, shows considerable spread, despite the relatively steady conditions. Our interpretation is that a combination of single and multiple X line reconnection generated these FTEs. The FTEs in the first part of the crossing, associated with reconnection jets, are generated by the single X line model and may therefore not satisfy the Grad-Shafranov assumptions so well. Instead, the last FTE, slower, bigger, and well separated from the previous ones, may be formed by multiple X line reconnection.