Four large-scale field-aligned current systmes in the dayside high-latitude region

Details Four large-scale field-aligned current systmes in the dayside high-latitude region Four large-scale field-aligned current systmes in the dayside high-latitude region

Jan 1995

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1995jgr...100..137o&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research (ISSN 0148-0227), vol. 100, no. A1, p. 137-153

Mathematics

Logic

33

Current Sheets, Daytime, Earth Ionosphere, Electron Precipitation, Field Aligned Currents, High Energy Electrons, Polar Regions, Convective Flow, Correlation, Dmsp Satellites, Electric Fields, Interplanetary Magnetic Fields, Viking Spacecraft

Scientific paper

A system of four current sheets of large-scale field-aligned currents (FACs) was discovered in the data set of simultaneous Viking and Defense Meteorological Satellire Program-F7 (DMSP-F7) crossing of the dayside high-latitude region. This paper reports four examples of this system that were observed in the prenoon sector. The flow polarities of FACs are upward, downward, upward, and downward, from equatorward to poleward. The lowest-latitude upward current is flowing mostly in the central plasma sheet (CPS) precipitation region, often overlapping with the boundary plasma sheet (BPS) at its poleward edge, andis interpreted as a region 2 current. The pair of downward and upward FACs in the middle of te structure are collocated with structured electron precipitation. The precipitation of high-energy (greater than 1 keV) electrons is more intense in the lower-latitude downward current sheet. The highest-latitude downward flowing current sheet is located in a weak, low-energy particle precipitation region, suggesting that this current is flowing on open field lines. Simulaneous observations in the postnoon local time sector reveal the standard three-sheet structure of FACs, sometimes described as region 2, region 1, and mantle (referred to the midday region O) currents. A high correlation was found between the occurrence of the four FAC sheet structure and negative interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) B(sub Y). We discuss the FAC structurein terms of three types of convection cells: the merging, viscous, andlobe cells. During strongly negative IMF B(sub Y), two convection reversals exist in the prenoon sector; one is inside the viscous cell, and the other is between the viscous cell and the lobe cell. This structure of convection flow is supported by the Viking electric field and auroral UV image data. Based on the convection pattern, the four FAC sheet structure is interpreted as the latitude overlap of midday and morning FAC systems. We suggest that the for-current sheet structure is common in a certain prenoon localtime sector during strongly negative IMF B(sub Y).

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