Physics
Scientific paper
Jun 1985
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1985georl..12..389y&link_type=abstract
Geophysical Research Letters (ISSN 0094-8276), vol. 12, June 1985, p. 389-392. Research supported by the National Institute of P
Physics
7
Auroral Electrojets, Cowlings, Electric Fields, Hall Effect, Ionospheric Currents, Earth Magnetosphere, Ionospheric Conductivity, Polarization (Charge Separation), Radar Measurement
Scientific paper
By using Chatanika radar measurements of the ionospheric electric field and conductivity, an attempt is made to estimate the extent to which the Cowling mechanism is taking place in the westward auroral electrojet. The effectiveness of this mechanism is assessed in terms of the northward Hall to the southward Pedersen currents ratio. Estimates of the ratio (alpha) are made for regions in which the electric field had both westward and southward components in the midnight sector during high geomagnetic activity. It is found that alpha varies considerably with latitude within the westward electrojet and that alpha decreases with increasing northward Hall current. Assuming east-west uniformity of the associated ionospheric quantities, these variations indicate that significant portions of the charges carried by the northward Hall current (due to the westward electric field) are removed from the 'excess' charge region without generating an intense polarization field. This implies that the classical Cowling mechanism is taking place only incompletely.
Kamide Yohsuke
Vickrey James F.
Yasuhara Fumihiko
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