Persistent quasiperiodic precipitation of suprathermal ambient electrons in decaying auroral arcs

Details Persistent quasiperiodic precipitation of suprathermal ambient electrons in decaying auroral arcs Persistent quasiperiodic precipitation of suprathermal ambient electrons in decaying auroral arcs

Jul 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001jgr...10612863s&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 106, Issue A7, p. 12863-12874

Physics

8

Ionosphere: Auroral Ionosphere, Magnetospheric Physics: Energetic Particles, Precipitating, Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosphere/Ionosphere Interactions

Scientific paper

An analysis of ground-based images and rocket-borne electron data from the Physics of Auroral Zone Electrons II rocket experiment suggests that suprathermal ambient electrons, precipitating in field-aligned bursts, may play an active role in regulating the decay of auroral potential structures. A set of discrete arcs were observed to form in quasiperiodic succession behind a passing westward traveling surge. The nascent arcs faded rapidly, losing 90% of their luminosity within 15 s. The fading then abruptly stopped at a brightness consistent with a peak electron energy of ~1.5 keV. Rocket-borne measurements of energetic electrons over the residual arcs 2 min later revealed a superposition of hot isotropic and cold ionospheric electrons, the latter precipitated in dispersive periodic (3-5 Hz) bursts from a source altitude of 3000-6000 km. A combined analysis of the optical and particle data showed that the FAB component (1) was present for at least 1 min, (2) precipitated in spatial scales of ~10 km and (3) carried a number flux comparable to that of the overlying isotropic population. Bulk plasma parameters calculated in the vicinity of the fading arcs revealed an inverse relationship between parallel potential drop and number flux carried by the field-aligned population.

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