Other
Scientific paper
May 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agusm..sm51a09s&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2001, abstract #SM51A-09
Other
2708 Current Systems (2409), 2736 Magnetosphere/Ionosphere Interactions, 2740 Magnetospheric Configuration And Dynamics, 2784 Solar Wind/Magnetosphere Interactions
Scientific paper
A recent study of ionospheric outflows as observed by the FAST spacecraft near 4000 km altitude has indicated that Poynting flux controls the flux of upward ions in the dayside cusp region. It was argued that the downward Poynting flux, ultimately generated as a consequence of reconnection at the magnetopause, heats ionospheric ions through Joule dissipation. These heated ions then provide a source population that is further heated by waves, so as to escape into the magnetotail and magnetosphere. An alternative scenario is that soft ( ~100 eV) precipitating electrons heat ionospheric electrons, and the associated ambipolar electric field brings ionospheric ions up to higher altitudes for subsequent wave heating. We have therefore re-analyzed data from the cusp region. We find that in terms of energy flux, Poynting flux is a stronger controlling factor than precipitating electron energy flux. On the other hand, through multiple regression analysis we find that the ion outflow flux has the strongest correlation with the density of precipitating electrons. Furthermore, it appears that the correlation with Poynting flux can better be better understood as a correlation with ELF wave amplitudes. Because of the strong inter-correlation between all of the parameters, identifying clear causal relationships from a regression analysis is difficult. Nevertheless, we would conclude at this stage that Poynting flux is better thought of as a proxy for other sources of heat for increasing ion outflows, such as soft electron precipitation and ELF waves, as well as direct ion heating through Joule dissipation.
Carlson Carl W.
Ergun Robert E.
McFadden James P.
Strangeway Robert J.
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