| 1. |
- ELPHINSTONE, RD, et al.
(author)
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OBSERVATIONS IN THE VICINITY OF SUBSTORM ONSET - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SUBSTORM PROCESS
- 1995
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In: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS. - : AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION. - 0148-0227. ; 100:A5, s. 7937-7969
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Multi-instrument data sets from the ground and satellites at both low and high altitude have provided new results concerning substorm onset and its source region in the magnetosphere. Twenty-six out of 37 substorm onset events showed evidence of azimuthal
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| 2. |
- Ohtani, S, et al.
(author)
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4 Large-scale field-aligned current systems in the dayside high-latitude region
- 1995
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 100, s. 137-153
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A system of four current sheets of large-scale field-aligned currents (FACs) was discovered in the data set of simultaneous Viking and DMSP-F7 crossings of the dayside high-latitude region. This paper reports four examples of this system that were observed in the prenoon sector. The flow polarities of FACs are upward, downward, upward, and downward, from equatorward to poleward. The lowest-latitude upward current is flowing mostly in the CPS precipitation region, often overlapping with the BPS at its poleward edge, and is interpreted as a region 2 current. The pair of downward and upward FACs in the middle of the structure are collocated with structured electron precipitation. The precipitation of high-energy (>1 keV) electrons is more intense in the lower-latitude downward current sheet. The highest-latitude downward flowing current sheet is located in a weak, low-energy particle precipitation region, suggesting that this current is flowing on open field lines. Simultaneous observations in the postnoon local time sector reveal the standard three-sheet structure of FACs, sometimes described as region 2, region 1, and mantle (referred to the midday region 0) currents. A high correlation was found between the occurrence of the four FAC sheet structure and negative interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) B-Y, We discuss the FAC structure in terms of three types of convection cells: the merging, viscous, and lobe cells. During strongly negative IMF B-Y two convection reversals exist in the prenoon sector; one is inside the viscous cell, and the other is between the viscous cell and the lobe cell. This structure of convection flow is supported by the Viking electric field and auroral UV image data. Based on the convection pattern, the four FAC sheet structure is interpreted as the latitudinal overlap of midday and morning FAC systems. We suggest that the four-current sheet structure is common in a certain prenoon local time sector during strongly negative IMF B-Y.
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| 3. |
- Ohtani, S, et al.
(author)
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Altitudinal comparison of dayside field-aligned current signatures by viking and DMSP-F7 : Intermediate-scale field-aligned current systems
- 1996
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 101:A7, s. 15297-15310
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dayside large-scale and intermediate-scale field-aligned current (FAG) signatures are examined with multi-instrument measurements from Viking and DMSP-F7 at magnetic conjunctions. The present paper reports four such conjunction events, with an emphasis on an event that occurred on October 13, 1986. In these four events both Viking and DMSP-F7 crossed prenoon FAC systems approximately along meridians. The altitude of DMSP-F7 was 835 km, whereas that of Viking ranged from 8500 to 12,000 km. The electric to magnetic field ratio measured by Viking indicates that intermediate-scale FAC systems, as well as large-scale FAC systems, are often quasi-stationary, This is also supported by the comparison between the Viking and DMSP-F7 magnetic measurements. The only obvious exception is the equatorward part of the October 13 event, in which the Viking and DMSP-F7 measurements are better explained in terms of Alfven waves. In two other events the Viking signature projected to the DMSP-F7 altitude is significantly more structured than the DMSP-F7 signature, although the electric to magnetic field ratio observed by Viking suggests that the associated FACs were quasistationary. This apparent discrepancy is possibly ascribed to the fact that Viking stays longer in FAC systems and therefore has more chance to observe temporal changes in FACs. However, such temporal effects must operate longer than the Alfven transit time so that FAC systems become quasi-stationary. Although the generation mechanism(s) of intermediate-scale FAC systems remains an open question, possibilities include a localized shear of plasma convection and a localized merging between the solar wind and magnetospheric field lines.
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| 4. |
- Ohtani, S, et al.
(author)
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Response of the dayside auroral and electrodynamic processes to variations in the interplanetary magnetic field
- 1997
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In: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS. - 0148-0227. ; 102:A10, s. 22247-22260
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The response of the dayside auroral and electrodynamic processes to variations in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is examined with multi-instrument data from the Viking and DMSP-F7 satellites as well as ground magnetometer data. The event selected, which occurred on October 5, 1986, was previously identified as a high-latitude dayside form by Murphree and Elphinstone [1988]. IMF B-Y was positive during most of the Viking auroral UV observation, whereas IMF B-Z made a transient southward excursion, followed by a sharp increase to +8 nT. The results are summarized as follows: (1) There were two auroral belts extending westward from the early afternoon sector. The equatorward belt was persistent throughout the event and was embedded in the CPS/BPS precipitation region, whereas the poleward belt was in the open field line region and was associated with northward IMF B-Z. (2) A new auroral spot emerged in the afternoon sector just poleward of the previously active region, delayed 10 min from the sudden increase in IMF B-Z. This time lag is ascribed to the travel time of the new IMF orientation from the subsolar point to a solar wind-magnetosphere interaction site tailward of the dayside cusp, as well as to the response time of the dayside auroral acceleration process. (3) The new auroral activity expanded both eastward and westward during the first few minutes and then expanded primarily westward across the noon meridian, forming the poleward belt. The speed of the westward extension in the second phase was comparable to the speed of the ionospheric convection. (4) The dayside auroral process has a finite decay constant, which is inferred to be at least 10 min. (5) The response time of the midday ionospheric convection to IMF variations is estimated to be a few to several minutes.
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| 5. |
- Ohtani, S, et al.
(author)
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Simultaneous prenoon and postnoon observations of 3 field-aligned current systems from Viking and DMSP F7
- 1995
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 100:A1, s. 119-136
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The spatial structure of dayside large-scale field-aligned current (FAG) systems is examined by using Viking and DMSP-F7 data. We focus on four events in which the satellites simultaneously observed postnoon and prenoon three FAC systems: the region 2, the region 1, and the mantle (referred to as midday region 0) systems, from equatorward to poleward. These events provide the most solid evidence to date that the midday region 0 system is a separate and unique FAC system, and is not an extension of the region 1 system from other local times. The events are examined comprehensively by making use of a multi-instrument data set, which includes magnetic field, particle flux, electric field, auroral UV image data from the satellites, and the Sondrestrom convection data. The results are summarized as follows: (1) Region 2 currents flow mostly in the CPS precipitation region, often overlapping with the BPS at their poleward edge. (2) The region 1 system is located in the core part of the auroral oval and is confined in a relatively narrow range in latitude which includes the convection reversal. The low-latitude boundary layer, possibly including the outer part of the plasma sheet, and the external cusp are the major source regions of dayside region 1 currents. (3) Midday region 0 currents flow on open field lines and are collocated with the shear of antisunward convection flows with velocities decreasing poleward. On the basis of these results we support the view that both prenoon and postnoon current systems consist of the three-sheet structure when the distortion of the convection pattern associated with interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) B-y is small and both morningside and eveningside convection cells are crescent-shaped. We also propose that the midday region 0 and a part of the region 1 systems are closely coupled to the same source.
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| 6. |
- Yamauchi, M, et al.
(author)
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Dynamic response of the cusp morphology to the solar wind : A case study during passage of the solar wind plasma cloud on February 21, 1994
- 1996
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 101:A11, s. 24675-24687
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- On February 21, 1994, both Geotail and LMP 8 satellites detected an interplanetary plasma cloud with intense interplanetary magnetic field (IMF>50 nT) and high dynamic pressure (> 50 nPa). During this interval the Freja satellite detected intense cusp-like plasma injections in four out of six dayside traversals. The first two traversals are carefully studied, During the first traversal the overall morphology of the ion injection is characterized by a ''multiple-injection'' signature over a wide magnetic local time (MLT) range, whereas it is characterized by a ''single-injection'' signature with narrow injection region at 8 MLT in the second traversal, The solar wind conditions were also quite different between these two periods: while both dynamic and magnetic pressures stayed high during entire period, the dynamic beta was much higher during the first Freja traversal than during the second traversal. Between these two traversals, the cusp plasma injection is detected by the Sondre Stromfjord radar. The radar signature of the plasma injection is identified using the satellite particle data when the satellite and the radar were conjugate (the satellite's footprint was in the radar's field of view.) The cusp position and dynamics observed by the Sondre Stromfjord radar again show a very good correlation to the solar wind condition, especially to the dynamic pressure. The result indicates the following. (1) During southward IMF the cusp morphology differs for conditions of high or low solar wind dynamic pressure. High dynamic pressure widens the cusp (with multiple injections), whereas high magnetic pressure narrows it (with single injection), The effect of the IMF on the cusp locations and morphology becomes dominant only when the dynamic pressure is not very high, (2) Such a morphological difference reflects dynamic pressure more than dynamic beta during southward IMF at least during times of high solar wind dynamic pressure. (3) The cusp morphology responds very quickly to the changes in the solar wind conditions.
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