Auroral arc thicknesses as predicted by various theories

Details Auroral arc thicknesses as predicted by various theories Auroral arc thicknesses as predicted by various theories

Apr 1993

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993jgr....98.6101b&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research (ISSN 0148-0227), vol. 98, no. A4, p. 6101-6138.

Physics

206

Airglow, Auroral Arcs, Electron Acceleration, Geomagnetism, Magnetic Dipoles, Magnetohydrodynamic Waves, Atmospheric Attenuation, Electric Discharges, Ion Acoustic Waves, Kilometric Waves, Magnetic Fields, Magnetohydrodynamic Flow, Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling, Plasma Layers, Pressure Gradients, Thermoelectricity

Scientific paper

Twelve electron-acceleration mechanisms and 10 generator mechanisms for auroral arcs are examined, and a characteristic auroral-arc thickness is worked out for each mechanism except one. The arc thicknesses are then mapped down to the ionosphere along the terrestrial magnetic-field lines; near the Earth, a dipole magnetic-field model is used, and farther from the Earth, the mapping includes the effects of magnetic-field-line draping. The 21 theoretical models all predict auroral-arc thicknesses that are at least an order of magnitude wider than the optically observed arcs. As an alternative explanation of the observed narrow auroral arcs, the acceleration of ionospheric electrons to produce airglow in electrical discharge mechanisms appears improbable. Also unsuccessfully explored is the possibility that the observed narrow auroral arcs are caused by interference effects when Alfven waves reflect off the ionosphere. Suggestions are made for future ground-based auroral-arc measurements.

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