Solar wind driving of dayside field-aligned currents

Details Solar wind driving of dayside field-aligned currents Solar wind driving of dayside field-aligned currents

Aug 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011jgra..11608208w&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 116, Issue A8, CiteID A08208

Physics

Ionosphere: Particle Precipitation, Magnetospheric Physics: Field-Aligned Currents And Current Systems (2409), Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetopause And Boundary Layers, Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosphere/Ionosphere Interactions (2431), Magnetospheric Physics: Solar Wind/Magnetosphere Interactions

Scientific paper

Variations in the dayside field-aligned current (FAC) density (J//), field-aligned parallel potential drop (Δ$\phi$//), peak precipitating electron energy (peak Ee), and precipitating electron energy flux ($\varepsilon$) as functions of solar wind (SW) and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) are investigated with Defense Meteorological Satellite Program observations and a quasi-stationary low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL)-FAC coupling model. Region 1 (R1) J// responses to variations in SW velocity (Vsw) and density (nsw) at 8-16 magnetic local time (MLT) suggest that R1 at these local times is frequently open while R1 at 6-08 and 17-18 MLT is frequently closed. R2 is located mostly on closed field lines. In the afternoon open R1 at 12-16 MLT, an increase in nsw increases J//, decreases maximum peak Ee (proxy for Δ$\phi$//), but has little effect on maximum $\varepsilon$. In the same R1 region, an increase in Vsw increases J//, maximum peak Ee, and maximum $\varepsilon$. The dependencies of J//, maximum peak Ee, and maximum $\varepsilon$ are consistent with the Knight relation and the voltage generator at the magnetopause boundary in the afternoon open R1. In the midmorning and midafternoon, the response of J// to Vsw is higher for southward than for northward IMF. This can be attributed to the higher-velocity shear at the magnetopause boundary due to higher sunward convection in the LLBL inside the magnetopause. R1 in the closed-field lines near dawn and dusk appears to be more sensitive to merging rate (dΦ/dt = Vsw4/3 BT2/3 sin8/3($\theta$c/2)) than to SW dynamic pressure.

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