Aurora in the Polar Cap : A Review

• This paper reviews our current understanding of auroral features that appear poleward of the main auroral oval within the polar cap, especially those that are known as Sun-aligned arcs, transpolar arcs, or theta auroras. They tend to appear predominantly during periods of quiet geomagnetic activity or northwards directed interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). We also introduce polar rain aurora which has been considered as a phenomenon on open field lines. We describe the morphology of such auroras, their development and dynamics in response to solar wind-magnetosphere coupling processes, and the models that have been developed to explain them.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Polar cap aurora

Transpolar arc

Sun-aligned arc

Polar rain aurora

Ionospheric convection

Magnetosphere

Reconnection

Publication and Content Type

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