Can magnetotail reconnection produce the auroral intensities observed in the conjugate ionosphere?

Details Can magnetotail reconnection produce the auroral intensities observed in the conjugate ionosphere? Can magnetotail reconnection produce the auroral intensities observed in the conjugate ionosphere?

Jun 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009jgra..11406204o&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 114, Issue A6, CiteID A06204

Physics

6

Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetic Reconnection (7526, 7835), Ionosphere: Auroral Ionosphere (2704), Magnetospheric Physics: Energetic Particles: Precipitating, Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetotail, Magnetospheric Physics: Auroral Phenomena (2407)

Scientific paper

In a recent case study, Borg et al. (2007) reported that an inverted V structure, caused by a field-aligned potential drop of 30 kV producing very strong X-ray aurora, was found in connection with tail reconnection. However, the in situ particle measurements indicated clearly that the particles responsible for the X-ray aurora were not accelerated by the reconnection process. In this article, we report the predicted auroral intensities of thirteen reconnection events where Cluster passed through the reconnection region. For six of the events, global auroral imaging data were available and the predicted auroral intensities could be compared with the observed intensities. Our main findings are as follows: (1) Acceleration in the reconnection region is generally not sufficient to account for the observed auroral intensities. (2) Additional acceleration between the reconnection region and the ionosphere is needed to explain the auroral intensities. Although we see signatures that point toward potential drops at the flanks of bursty bulk flows (BBFs), we also find signatures of Alfvén wave accelerated electrons at 700 km and we are not able to determine the most likely acceleration mechanism. (3) The reconnection events are observed 2-14 min after substorm onset and indicate that reconnection is an expanding process observed along the poleward boundary of the aurora.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Can magnetotail reconnection produce the auroral intensities observed in the conjugate ionosphere? does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Can magnetotail reconnection produce the auroral intensities observed in the conjugate ionosphere?, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Can magnetotail reconnection produce the auroral intensities observed in the conjugate ionosphere? will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1629752