Physics
Scientific paper
May 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agusmsm33a..09s&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007, abstract #SM33A-09
Physics
2704 Auroral Phenomena (2407), 2706 Cusp, 2723 Magnetic Reconnection (7526, 7835)
Scientific paper
We use IMAGE observations to explore the control of cusp aurora location by the solar wind and IMF. Proton precipitation during northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) produces the cusp aurora. Cusp aurora, believed to be the ionospheric signature of magnetic reconnection occurring at the magnetopause just poleward of the cusps, were located using images produced by the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) satellite Far Ultraviolet instrument (FUV). Previous studies used IMAGE FUV data to establish the statistical dependence of cusp aurora location with controlling parameters in the solar wind and IMF. In this investigation, we perform case study event analysis of recent IMAGE data obtained in the southern hemisphere, to quantify more direct causal relationships. We identify cusp aurora by first selecting intervals during which solar wind conditions met certain criteria established by earlier cusp studies. These criteria include high solar wind dynamic pressure, speed and northward IMF. Cusp aurora locations are determined visually from this subset of images spanning 2003 through mid-2005. During two long-lasting intervals (i.e., lasting hours), cusp aurora spot locations are tracked reliably as a function of time. We use cross correlation analysis between spot location and several solar wind controlling parameters to establish coupling time scales and efficiencies. We compare the observed cusp aurora location with locations from models that predict based on IMF orientation relative to magnetospheric magnetic fields at the magnetopause boundary. Finally, we compare and contrast dependencies of cusp auroral location with IMF orientation in these southern hemisphere case studies, to those dependencies determined statistically in the northern hemisphere.
Claflin S.
Fuselier Stephen
Kepko Larry
Petrinec S. S.
Robison A. N.
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