A new model for auroral breakup during substorms

A model for substorm breakup is developed, based on (1) the relaxation of stretched (closed) dipolar field lines, and (2) the formation of an incipient current wedge within a single arc structure. It is argued that the establishment of a coupled current structure within a single arc leads to a quasistable system, i.e. the prebreakup regime. Perturbation of the prebreakup structure leads to an instability criterion. It is found, consistent with observations, that the narrower auroral arcs at lower L shells undergo the most explosive poleward expansion. According to this model, the precise location at which breakup occurs depends on the O⁺ density in the plasma sheet, the level of magnetic activity (K_p), and the intensity of the substorm westward electrojet in the ionosphere. An enhancement of any of these features will cause breakup to occur at lower L shells. Comparison of the proposed model with the Heppner-Maynard polar-cap potential model indicates that breakup is restricted to the west of the Harang discontinuity, consistent with observations from the Viking satellite     

Magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions as a key to the plasmaUniverse

Almost all known matter in the Universe is in a state, the plasma state, that is rare on Earth, and whose physical properties are still incompletely understood. Its complexity is such that a reliable understanding must build on empirical knowledge. While laboratory experiments are still an important source of such knowledge, the Earth's magnetosphere-ionosphere system, made accessible by space technology, vastly widens the parameter ranges in which plasma phenomena can be studied. This system contains all three main categories of plasma present in the Universe. Furthermore, the interaction between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere excites a wealth of plasma physical phenomena of fundamental importance. These include, among others, formation of magnetic-field aligned electric fields, acceleration of charged particles, release of magnetically stored energy, formation of filamentary and cellular structures, as well as unexpected chemical separation processes. What has been learned, and what still remains to be learned, from study of the magnetosphere-ionosphere system should therefore provide a much improved basis for understanding of our Universe     

Electrodynamics of cosmical plasmas-some basic aspects ofcosmological importance

A review is presented of basic electrodynamic properties as revealed by laboratory and space plasma experiments, and their consequences. They include the coupling between magnetic fields and the motion of matter, filamentary and cellular structure, anomalous momentum coupling, and new mechanisms of chemical separation. It is concluded that some of these properties, obviously important for the understanding of the present-day universe, must also have been important in the cosmological evolution of which today's Universe is the result. As some of the crucial properties are still poorly understood, but are being investigated by laboratory and space-plasma experiments, the results of such experiments should also be relevant to the development of cosmology     

The role of O+ ions in channeling solar wind energy tothe ionosphere

In space weather prediction, the transport of solar wind energy through the magnetosphere is a major aspect. For the transport of energy from the magnetosphere to the ionosphere, magnetic field-aligned (Birkeland) currents are a very important agent. The authors discuss the role of O⁺ ions for driving field-aligned currents of spatially alternating polarity that may explain multiple auroral arcs. It is known from earlier work that nonadiabatic motion of O⁺ ions in the magnetotail plasma can lead to the formation of density striations that are stationary in the GSM frame. As the magnetospheric plasma drifts through these density striations, magnetic field-aligned currents of alternating signs are forced to flow in and out of the oxygen-rich region to maintain quasineutrality. This generates Alfven waves that propagate in the drifting plasma but can form stationary structures in the GSM frame. As the currents close in the ionosphere, the equatorial plasma constitutes a generator from which spatially alternating magnetic field-aligned currents carry energy to the ionospheric load. The wavelength of the density striations, mapped to the ionosphere, is compatible with the spacing of stable auroral arcs, and the power supplied by the equatorial generator region is estimated to be compatible with what is needed to drive auroral arcs. Thus, the consequences of nonadiabatic motion of O⁺ ions may explain how part of the energy extracted from the solar wind is channelled into multiple auroral arcs     

Electric fields in the magnetosphere-the evidence from ISEE, GEOSand Viking

Electric field measurements on the satellites GEOS-1, GEOS-2, ISEE-1, and Viking have extended the empirical knowledge of electric fields in space to include the outer regions of the magnetosphere. While the measurements confirm some of the theoretically expected properties of the electric fields, they also reveal unexpected features and a high degree of complexity and variability. The existence of a magnetospheric dawn-to-dusk electric field, as expected on the basis of extrapolation from low-altitude measurements, is confirmed in an average sense. However, the actual field exhibits large spatial and temporal variations, including strong fields of inductive origin. At the magnetopause, the average (dawn-to-dusk directed) tangential electric field component is typically obscured by irregular fluctuations of larger amplitude. In addition, data from electric-field measurements provide further support for the conclusion that a nonvanishing magnetic-field aligned electric field exists in the auroral acceleration region