Electron Acceleration and Ion Outlflow in the Polar Cap Boundary Region During Magnetospheric Substorms

Details Electron Acceleration and Ion Outlflow in the Polar Cap Boundary Region During Magnetospheric Substorms Electron Acceleration and Ion Outlflow in the Polar Cap Boundary Region During Magnetospheric Substorms

Dec 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agufmsm52b..03c&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2001, abstract #SM52B-03

Physics

2704 Auroral Phenomena (2407), 2708 Current Systems (2409), 2736 Magnetosphere/Ionosphere Interactions

Scientific paper

Measurements from the FAST spacecraft find that the most intense precipitating electron energy fluxes and ion outflows are found in the polar cap boundary region during magnetospheric substorms. This boundary region begins at the open magnetic field boundary identified by polar rain electrons. Auroral images identify this region with the `double oval' or substorm bulge. Here bursty, magnetic field-aligned electron fluxes are associated with intense Alfven waves rather than quasi-DC potential structures characteristic of typical auroral arcs, and the electrons have broad energy spectra, in contrast to the peaked spectra found in inverted-V arcs. Conjugate Auroral images observed by the WIC instrument on IMAGE spacecraft show corresponding turbulent spatial structure. We suggest that this region maps to merging regions and bursty flows in the magnetotail. Intense low frequency waves generated by the electron bursts produce intense ion heating. Ion conic outflows exceeding 108}/cm{2-s are typical in the polar cap boundary region. Successive substorms associated with magnetic storms creat even larger ion outflows, exceeding 109}/cm{2-s, with enhanced O+ composition. Since these ions are injected onto newly closed magnetic field lines, they can convect into the inner magnetopshere where they are further heated and contribute to the ring current.

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