A broad climatology of very high latitude substorms

Magnetic data from a newly commissioned Indian Antarctic station Bharati (corrected geomagnetic (CGM) coordinates 74.7°S, 97.2°E) and closely-spaced IMAGE chain observatories (∼100° magnetic meridian in Northern hemisphere) has been analyzed to study the climatology of substorms which were localized poleward of the standard auroral oval. We considered four austral summers (year 2007–2010) when data from Bharati was available. Several very high latitude substorms were observed in this duration when the solar activity remained unexpectedly low for a long time. Various features of very high latitude substorms, e.g., local time dependence, interplanetary state, hemispherical asymmetry and their nightside low latitude signatures are examined. Events studied here, suggested the following properties of substorms occurring at very high latitudes: (1) maximum occurrence was observed near magnetic midnight (21:00–02:00 MLT). (2) In contradiction to earlier reports, many substorms were observed even during negative IMF Bz condition. In addition, majority of substorms occurred during low or moderate solar wind streams. (3) Magnetic signatures were often pronounced in the winter hemisphere. (4) Even if widely used standard AE indices fail to monitor very high latitude substorms, their low latitude signatures are often evident.     

Understanding magnetotail current sheet meso-scale structures using MHD simulations

Recent Cluster observations have strongly supported the existence of meso-scale structure in the magnetotail current sheet. In our study, a magnetohydrodynamic simulation event study exhibited current sheet behavior comparable to that seen in the Cluster observations. Geotail and DoubleStar observations also show that the simulation is providing a realistic representation of the magnetosphere during the period of interest; that is, when the current sheet evidently becomes bifurcated. The magnetohydrodynamic simulation allows us to place the local observations into a global contest. It shows that the observations can be explained in terms of localized reconnection tailward of the Cluster location and the formation of a flux rope nearby. The simulation also features wave-like structure across the current sheet.     

Traveling ionospheric disturbances observed at South African midlatitudes during the 29–31 October 2003 geomagnetically disturbed period

This paper presents traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) observations from GPS measurements over the South African region during the geomagnetically disturbed period of 29–31 October 2003. Two receiver arrays, which were along two distinct longitudinal sectors of about 18°-20° and 27°-28° were used in order to investigate the amplitude, periods and virtual propagation characteristics of the storm induced ionospheric disturbances. The study revealed a large sudden TEC increase on 28 October 2003, the day before the first of the two major storms studied here, that was recorded simultaneously by all the receivers used. This pre-storm enhancement was linked to an X-class solar flare, auroral/magnetospheric activities and vertical plasma drift, based on the behaviour of the geomagnetic storm and auroral indices as well as strong equatorial electrojet. Diurnal trends of the TEC and foF2 measurements revealed that the geomagnetic storm caused a negative ionospheric storm; these parameters were depleted between 29 and 31 October 2003. Large scale traveling ionospheric disturbances were observed on the days of the geomagnetic storms (29 and 31 October 2003), using line-of-sight vertical TEC (vTEC) measurements from individual satellites. Amplitude and dominant periods of these structures varied between 0.08–2.16 TECU, and 1.07–2.13 h respectively. The wave structures were observed to propagate towards the equator with velocities between 587.04 and 1635.09 m/s.     

Understanding Substorms in the Magnetotail: Early Development and Recent Progress

This is a concise review of physics of the substorm in the magnetotail. It consists of two parts. The first part summarizes historical developments in the early days of the space age (1960--1975) when the basic concepts such as magnetotail and reconnection were established and the leading model of the substorm was introduced. The second part is an overview of the research conducted in recent years (1995--2010) when very significant advances have been achieved in understanding the substorm physics by virtue of several major satellites missions that addressed the magnetotail physics intensively.      

中心等离子体片的地向对流型高速流

在GSM坐标系下, 利用TC-1卫星和Cluster/C1卫星上4s分辨率的磁场和热离子探测数据, 对中心等离子体片内的地向对流型高速流进行了统计研究(-19 Re < x< -9 Re, |y| < 10 Re, |z|< 5 Re). 统计结果表明, 地向对流型高速流会在15 Re以内出现``刹车', 在11.5 Re附近时出现``缺失'. 进一步对其速度特征进行统计分析. 结果显示, 在中心等离子体片内的高速流, 其运动方向主要为地向, 晨昏和南北方向的运动明显较弱; 在对流型高速流的地向输运过程中, 其峰值速度没有明显的下降; 在近地13 Re以内, 等离子体片内的地向对流型高速流具有较强的垂直磁力线运动速度. 这意味着对流型高速流在近地15 Re以内的“刹车”不是由高速流晨昏或南北方向的偏转造成的. 高速流在11.5 Re附近时出现的``缺失'可能与在15 Re以内出现``刹车'密切相关. TC-1卫星和Cluster卫星的观测为了解中磁尾重联高速流地向输运过程及亚暴膨胀相触发提供了重要的观测依据.      

TC-1和Geotail对亚暴过程中近地等离子体片磁扰动的联合观测

以2004年9月28日02:53:20 UT的亚暴为例, 通过TC-1在磁尾约12.5 R_e 和Geotail卫星在近地磁尾等离子体片约8～9 R_e的联合观测, 研究亚暴触发过程中近地磁尾等离子体片中等离子体波动特征. 结果表明, 亚暴触发区是近地磁尾中心等离子体片中较小的一个区域, 在亚暴触发区中低混杂不稳定性在近地磁尾等离子体片中存在, 准垂直传播的低混杂波发生在亚暴触发过程中, 而亚暴触发过程中近地磁尾等离子体片外边界区内的磁场偶极化信号和扰动都非常微弱. 在亚暴触发和亚暴膨胀相过程中出现了多次具有不同特征的磁场偶极化现象.      

Observations of Magnetic Reconnection in the Magnetotail Associated With Substorms

Magnetic reconnection is one of the most important, dynamic phenomena in the magnetotail in terms of magnetic field line configuration change and energy release. It is believed to occur in the distant magnetotail mainly during southward interplanetary magnetic field periods and in the near-Earth magnetotail in association with substorms. In the present paper, we discuss several important issues concerning magnetic reconnection in the magnetotail associated with substorms, such as reconnection signatures, location, timing, spatial scale, and behavior, from the macroscopic, observational point of view.      

亚暴起始地磁指数判断的统计研究

利用2004年地磁西向电急流 AL指数, 亚暴电急流AE指数和场向电流AF指数来确定亚暴起始, 并与2004年亚暴极光起始进行对比. 研究发现, 如果以极光亚暴起始为时间零点, 亚暴的西向电急流AL起始和电急流AE起始主要分布于-5~+6 min的时间范围内, 但在-9~+9 min的时间范围内也有个别事例. 场向电流 AF 起始分布较宽, 可以分布于-8~+7 min的时间范围内. 平均西向电急流AL起始, 电急流AE起始和场向电流AF起始分别为0.5, 0.5, -0.1min. 通常西向电急流AL起始与极光起始同时的概率最高, 而多数情况下电急流AE起始和场向电流AF起始提前极光起始1min. 这些地面磁场指数确定的亚暴起始分布, 随着亚暴强度的增大(即最小AL指数减少, 最大AE指数增大, 最大AF指数增大)而向极光亚暴起始靠近. 对于5个超级亚暴来说, 其西向电急流AL起始和电急流AE起始都发生在极光起始之前. 这些结果说明对于大亚暴, 电急流的增加要早于极光爆发.      

Effects of a “day-time” substorm on the ionosphere and radio propagation

Propagation mechanisms of lateral (non-great-circle) signals on a high-latitude HF radio path during magnetospheric substorms that occurred in the day-time have been considered. The path is equipped with oblique ionospheric sounding (OIS) from Murmansk to St. Petersburg. The OIS method gives the possibility to determine propagation modes, MOF (maximum observed frequency) values, signal delays, etc. Data of the CUTLASS radar, the IMAGE magnetometer system, the Finnish riometer chain, and the Tromso ionosonde were also used for the analysis. The main results are the following: (1) the lateral signal propagation takes place, as a rule, if the path midpoint is located near the irregularity region that moves sharply from high to low latitudes. The lateral signal propagation appearing during day-time is a new effect. (2) Formation of dense field-aligned irregularities during a substorm leads to decreasing F2MOF values on radio paths. These results can be useful for problems of radiolocation, HF communications and navigation.     

On the association of quiet-time Pi2 pulsations with IMF variations

The association of quiet-time Pi2 pulsations with the variations of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has been examined by using three reported events, occurring during extremely quiet intervals, of which the first was on 10 March 1997, the second 27 December 1997, and the third 11 May 1999. For the first event, the onset time of ground Pi2s maps to the IMF structure bearing a variation cycle of north-to-south and north again as seen by Wind in the upstream region and Geotail in the magnetosheath. Likewise, the second and the third events have respectively, four and three recurrent turnings propagating to the Earth sensed by multiple satellites. The comparison of geomagnetic perturbations, auroral brightenings, and energetic particle data in the magnetotail with the IMF observations shows successive substorm-like activations accompanied by ground Pi2 onsets. For a clear variation cycle, the first Pi2 burst appears 36 ± 8 min after southward turning of the IMF and the second one follows14 ± 4 min after a northward turning. Moreover, ground Pi2 onsets recur under low IMF clock angle conditions. These observational results can be interpreted with the prevailing models of externally triggered substorm. But the solar wind coupling to the magnetosphere under quiet conditions proceeds in a less efficient way than under substorm time conditions. Consequently, we suggest that recurrent quiet-time Pi2s can be associated with IMF variations and their cause can be the same as those for substorm times.