Semenov, VS;
Bogdanova, YV;
Rijnbeek, RP;
Buchan, MJ;
(1999)
A new mechanism for interpreting the motion of auroral arcs in the nightside ionosphere.
Geophysical Research Letters
, 26
(15)
2367 - 2370.
10.1029/1999GL900526.
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Abstract
A new mechanism is proposed for predicting and interpreting the motion of auroral arcs observed in the nightside ionosphere during the expansion phase of a substorm. This mechanism is centred on the idea that such arcs act as visible manifestations of the arrival of earthward-propagating shock waves in the near-Earth magnetosphere. These shock waves are generated at a near-Earth X-line, and propagate at the local Alfven speed. Because of the non-uniform nature of the magnetised plasma in the magnetotail, dispersion results in a change in the shape of the wave fronts as the shocks propagate towards the ionosphere. Theoretical analysis shows that a variety of are motions can occur as a result of this dispersion, depending on factors such as the reconnect ion rate, the location of the reconnection site, and gradients in the magnetic field strength and plasma density.
Type: | Article |
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Title: | A new mechanism for interpreting the motion of auroral arcs in the nightside ionosphere |
Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
DOI: | 10.1029/1999GL900526 |
Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/1999GL900526 |
Language: | English |
Additional information: | Copyright 1999 by the American Geophysical Union |
UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences |
URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/138745 |
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