Larger IMF drives relatively lower magnetospheric activity: Observational and LFM simulation results

Details Larger IMF drives relatively lower magnetospheric activity: Observational and LFM simulation results Larger IMF drives relatively lower magnetospheric activity: Observational and LFM simulation results

Dec 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agufmsm33d..01p&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #SM33D-01

Physics

2730 Magnetosphere: Inner, 2753 Numerical Modeling, 2784 Solar Wind/Magnetosphere Interactions, 2788 Magnetic Storms And Substorms (7954)

Scientific paper

We revisit the solar wind - magnetosphere coupling issue by examining the coupling efficiency as a function of the driver intensity. A superposed epoch analysis of stormtime substorms indicates that stronger solar wind driving (larger interplanetary electric field) leads to relatively lower level of activity than weaker driving. In this study, activity is measured as the intensity of auroral electrojets (AL index), the degree of stretching of the geosynchronous magnetic field, and the magnitude of the Dst index. We discuss possible factors in the the solar wind and IMF properties that could lead to this: the Mach number in the solar wind, the level of IMF fluctuations, and saturation of the polar cap potential. To quantitatively examine the coupling, we analyze two simulation runs using the LFM global MHD simulation. These results also show that the magnetospheric activity (in this case the lobe field, plasma sheet density, flow speed, and the ionopsheric polar cap potential) are not sole functions of the driving electric field. The general conclusion that stronger driving leads to weaker coupling to the magnetosphere - ionosphere system is valid also in the simulation results. The statistical data and simulation results are used to discuss the factors controlling the solar wind - magnetosphere coupling.

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