Two-dimensional electric field measurements in the ionospheric footprint of a flux transfer event
Line-of-sight Doppler velocities from the SuperDARN CUTLASS HF radar pair have been combined to produce the first two-dimensional vector measurements of the convection pattern throughout the ionospheric footprint of a flux transfer event (a pulsed ionospheric flow, or PIF). Very stable and moder...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2000-12-01
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| Series: | Annales Geophysicae |
| Online Access: | https://www.ann-geophys.net/18/1584/2000/angeo-18-1584-2000.pdf |
| Summary: | Line-of-sight Doppler velocities from the
SuperDARN CUTLASS HF radar pair have been combined to produce the first
two-dimensional vector measurements of the convection pattern throughout the
ionospheric footprint of a flux transfer event (a pulsed ionospheric flow, or
PIF). Very stable and moderate interplanetary magnetic field conditions, along
with a preceding prolonged period of northward interplanetary magnetic field,
allow a detailed study of the spatial and the temporal evolution of the
ionospheric response to magnetic reconnection. The flux tube footprint is
tracked for half an hour across six hours of local time in the auroral zone,
from magnetic local noon to dusk. The motion of the footprint of the newly
reconnected flux tube is compared with the ionospheric convection velocity. Two
primary intervals in the PIF's evolution have been determined. For the first
half of its lifetime in the radar field of view the phase speed of the PIF is
highly variable and the mean speed is nearly twice the ionospheric convection
speed. For the final half of its lifetime the phase velocity becomes much less
variable and slows down to the ionospheric convection velocity. The evolution of
the flux tube in the magnetosphere has been studied using magnetic field,
magnetopause and magnetosheath models. The data are consistent with an interval
of azimuthally propagating magnetopause reconnection, in a manner consonant with
a peeling of magnetic flux from the magnetopause, followed by an interval of
anti-sunward convection of reconnected flux tubes.<br><br><b>Key words:</b> Magnetospheric physics (magnetosphere ·
ionosphere interactions; plasma convection; solar wind · magnetosphere
interactions) |
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| ISSN: | 0992-7689 1432-0576 |