Polar cap particle precipitation and aurora: Review and commentary

Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics

Volumn 71, Issue 2, 2009, Pages 199-215

  Newell, Patrick T ^a   Liou, Kan ^a   Wilson, Gordon R ^b  

^a JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY   (United States)

^b AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY   (United States)

Author keywords

Aurora; Polar cap; Polar rain; Sun aligned arcs

Indexed keywords

IONS; MAGNETIC FIELDS; MAGNETOSPHERE; MERGING; PLASMA SHEATHS; PLASMAS; PRECIPITATION (CHEMICAL); PROGRAMMING THEORY; SOLAR ENERGY; SOLAR WIND; SUN; TURNING;

AURORA; AURORAL OVALS; BULK FLOWS; CONVECTION REVERSALS; ELECTRON HEAT FLUXES; ENERGY FLUXES; FIELD LINES; INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS; ION THERMAL VELOCITIES; PARTICLE PRECIPITATIONS; PLASMA REGIMES; PLASMA SHEETS; POLAR CAP; POLAR RAIN; SEASONAL EFFECTS; SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLES; SUN-ALIGNED ARCS; SYMMETRY PROPERTIES;

RAIN;

EID: 59249104561     PISSN: 13646826     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jastp.2008.11.004     Document Type: Review

References (75)

1. Angelopoulos V., et al. Multipoint analysis of a bursty bulk flow event on April 11, 1985. J. Geophys. Res. 101 (1996) 4967
2. Baker D.N., Bame S.J., Feldman W.C., Gosling J.T., Zwickl R.D., Slavin J.A., and Smith E.J. Strong electron bidirectional anisotropies in the distant tail: ISEE 3 observations of polar rain. J. Geophys. Res. 91 (1986) 5637
3. Berkey F.T., Cogger L.L., Ismail S., and Kamide Y. Evidence for a correlation between Sun-aligned arcs and the interplanetary magnetic field direction. Geophys. Res. Lett. 3 (1976) 145-147
4. Berg G.A., Kelley M.C., Mendillo M., Doe R., Vickrey J., Kletzing C., Primdahl F., and Baker K.D. Formation and eruption of Sun-aligned arcs at the polar cap-auroral oval boundary. J. Geophys. Res. 99 (1994) 17577
5. Brittnacher M., Fillingim M., Parks G., Germany G., and Spann J. Polar cap area and boundary motion during substorms. J. Geophys. Res. 104 (1999) 12251
6. Carlson H.C., and Cowley S.W.H. Accelerated polar rain electrons as the source of Sun-aligned arcs in the polar cap during northward interplanetary magnetic field conditions. J. Geophys. Res. 110 (2005) A05302 10.1029/2004JA010669
7. Carlson H.C., Heelis R.A., Webber E.J., and Sharber J.R. Coherent mesoscale convection patterns during northward interplanetary magnetic field. J. Geophys. Res. 93 (1988) 14501
8. Chang S.-W., Scudder J.D., Sigwarth J.B., Frank L.A., Maynard N.C., Burke W.J., Peterson W.K., Shelley E.G., Friedle R., Blake J.B., Greenwald R.A., Lepping R.P., Sofko G.J., Villian J.-P., and Lester M. A comparison of a model for the theta aurora with observations from Polar, Wind, and SuperDARN. J. Geophys. Res. 103 (1998) 17367
9. Collier M.R., Slavin J.A., Lepping R.P., Szabo A., and Olgivie K. Timing accuracy for the simple planar propagation of magnetic field structures in the solar wind. Geophys. Res. Lett. 25 (1998) 2509
10. y conditions. J. Geophys. Res. 102 (1997) 17489
11. Cumnock J.A., Sharber J.R., Heelis J.R., et al. Interplanetary magnetic field control of theta aurora development. J. Geophys. Res. 107 (2002) 1108
12. Davis T.N. Negative correlation between polar cap visual aurora and magnetic activity. J. Geophys. Res. 68 (1963) 4947
13. y dependencies as observed by the Viking satellite. J. Geophys. Res. 95 (1990) 5791
14. Eriksson S., Provan G., Rich F.J., Lester M., Milan S.E., Massetti S., Gosling J.T., Dunlop M.W., and Reme H. Electrodynamics of a split-transpolar aurora. J. Geophys. Res. 111 (2006) A11319 10.1029/2006JA011976
15. Eriksson S., Hairston M.R., Rich F.J., Korth H., Zhang Y., and Anderson B.J. High-latitude ionospheric convection and Birkeland current response for the 15 May 2005 magnetic storm recovery phase. J. Geophys. Res. 113 (2008) A00A08 10.1029/2008JA012139
16. Fairfield D.H., and Scudder J.D. Polar rain: Solar coronal electrons in the Earth's magnetosphere. J. Geophys. Res. 90 (1985) 4055
17. Fairfield D.H., Lepping R.P., Frank L.A., Ackerson K.L., Paterson W.R., Kokubun S., Yamamoto T., Tsuruda K., and Nakamura M. Geotail observations of an unusual magnetotail under very northward IMF conditions. J. Geomag. Geoelec. 48 (1996) 473-487
18. Feldstein Y.I., Newell P.T., Sandahl I., Woch J., Leontjev S.V., and Vorobjev V.G. Structure of auroral precipitation during a theta aurora from multisatellite observations. J. Geophys. Res. 100 (1995) 17429
19. Foster J.C., and Burrows J.R. Electron fluxes over the polar cap. 1. Intense keV fluxes during poststorm quieting. J. Geophys. Res. 81 (1976) 6016
20. Foster J.C., and Burrows J.R. Electron fluxes over the polar cap. 2. Electron trapping and energization on open field lines. J. Geophys. Res. 82 (1977) 5165
21. Frank L.A., et al. The theta aurora. J. Geophys. Res. 91 (1986) 3177
22. Friis-Christensen K.L., Wilhjelm J., Wilcox J.M., Gonzalez W., and Colburn D.S. Critical component of the interplanetary magnetic field responsible for large geomagnetic effects in the polar cap. J. Geophys. Res. 77 (1972) 3371
23. Gosling J.T., Baker D.N., Bame S.J., Feldman W.C., Zwickl R.D., and Smith E.J. North-south and dawn-dusk plasma asymmetries in the distant tail lobes: ISEE 3. J. Geophys. Res. 90 (1985) 6354
24. Gosling J.T., Baker D.N., Bame S.J., and Zwickl R.D. Bidirectional solar wind electron heat flux and hemispherically symmetric polar rain. J. Geophys. Res. 91 (1985) 11352
25. Gosling J.T., Baker D.N., Bame S.J., and Zwickl R.D. Bidirectional solar wind electron heat flux and hemispherically symmetric polar rain. J. Geophs. Res. 91 (1986) 11352-11358
26. Gussenhoven M.S., Hardy D.A., Heinemann N., and Burkhardt R.K. Morphology of the polar rain. J. Geophys. Res. 89 (1984) 9785
27. z northward: A scenario for an open field line source of auroral particles. J. Geophys. Res. 94 (1989) 17121
28. Gussenhoven M.S., and Madden D. Monitoring the polar rain over a solar cycle: A polar rain index. J. Geophys. Res. 95 (1990) 10399
29. Hardy D.A., Gussenhoven M.S., Riehl K., Burkhardt R., Heinemann N., and Shumaker T. The characteristics of polar-cap precipitation and their dependence on the interplanetary magnetic field and the solar wind. In: Kamide Y., and Slavin J.A. (Eds). Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Coupling (1986), Terra, Tokyo 575-604
30. Heelis R.A. The effects of interplanetary orientation on dayside high-latitude convection. J. Geophys. Res. 89 (1984) 2873-2880
31. Heppner J.P., and Maynard N.C. Empirical high-latitude electric field models. J. Geophys. Res. 92 (1987) 4467-4489
32. Hill T.W., and Reiff P.H. Evidence of magnetospheric cusp proton acceleration by magnetic merging at the dayside magnetopause. J. Geophys. Res. 82 (1977) 3623-3628
33. Hones E.W., Craven J.D., Frank L.A., Evans D.S., and Newell P.T. The horse-collar aurora: a frequent pattern of the aurora in quiet times. Geophys. Res. Lett. 16 (1989) 37
34. Ismail S., Wallis D.D., and Cogger L.L. Characteristics of polar cap sun-aligned arcs. J. Geophys. Res. 82 (1977) 4741
35. Kauristie K., Weygand J., Pulkkinen T.I., Murphree J.S., and Newell P.T. Size of the auroral oval: UV ovals and precipitation boundaries compared. J. Geophys. Res. 104 (1999) 2321
36. Kullen A. The connection between transpolar arcs and magnetotail rotation. Geophys. Res. Lett. 27 (2000) 73
37. Lin R.P., and Anderson K.A. Evidence for connection of geomagnetic tail lines to the interplanetary field. J. Geophys. Res. 71 (1966) 4213
38. Liou K., Ruohoniemi J.M., Newell P.T., Greenwald R., Meng C.-I., and Hairston M.R. Observations of ionospheric plasma flows within theta auroras. J. Geophys. Res. 110 (2005) A03303 10.1029/2004JA010735
39. Makita K., and Meng C.-I. Average electron precipitation patterns and visual aurora during geomagnetic quiescence. J. Geophys. Res. 89 (1984) 2861
40. Makita K., and Meng C.-I. Long-period polar rain variations, solar wind and hemispherically symmetric polar rain. J. Geophys. Res. 92 (1987) 7381-7393
41. Mawson D. Auroral observations at the Cape Royds station, Antarctica. Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust. 40 (1916) 151
42. Meng C.-I. The auroral oval precipitation boundary during extremely quiet geomagnetic conditions. J. Geophys. Res. 86 (1981) 4607
43. Meng C.-I., and Kroehl H.W. Intense uniform precipitation of low-energy electrons over the polar cap. J. Geophys. Res. 82 (1977) 2305
44. Naehr S.M., and Toffoletto F.R. Quantitative modeling of the magnetic field configuration associated with the theta aurora. J. Geophys. Res. 109 (2004) A07202 10.1029/2003JA010191
45. Newell P.T., and Meng C.-I. An event of distinct ion polar rain. Geophys. Res. Lett. 15 (1988) 1165
46. Newell P.T., and Meng C.-I. Hemispherical asymmetry in cusp precipitation near solstices. J. Geophys. Res. 93 (1988) 2643
47. Newell P.T., and Meng C.-I. Creation of theta-auroras: the isolation of plasma sheet fragments in the polar cap. Science 270 (1995) 1338
48. Newell P.T., and Meng C.-I. Intense keV energy polar rain. J. Geophys. Res. 95 (1990) 7869-7879
49. Newell P.T., and Sibeck D.G. Upper limits on the contribution of flux transfer events to ionospheric convection. Geophys. Res. Lett. 20 (1993) 2829-2832
50. Newell P.T., Meng C.-I., Sibeck D.G., and Lepping R. Some low altitude cusp dependencies on the interplanetary magnetic field. J. Geophys. Res. 94 (1989) 8921-8927
51. Newell P.T., Xu D., Meng C.-I., and Kivelson M.G. The dynamical polar cap: a unifying approach. J. Geophys. Res. 102 (1997) 127
52. Newell P.T., Liou K., Meng C.-I., Brittnacher M.J., and Parks G. Dynamics of double-theta aurora: Polar UVI study of January 10-11, 1997. J. Geophys. Res. 104 (1999) 95
53. Newell P.T., Greenwald R.A., and Ruohoniemi J.M. The role of the ionosphere in aurora and space weather. Rev. Geophys. 39 (2001) 137-149
54. Newell P.T., Ruohoniemi J.M., and Meng C.-I. Maps of precipitation by source region, binned by IMF, with inertial convection streamlines. J. Geophys. Res. 109 (2004) A10206 10.1029/2004JA010499
55. Newell P.T., Sotirelis T., Liou K., Meng C.-I., and Rich F.J. A nearly universal solar wind-magnetosphere coupling function inferred from 10 magnetospheric state variables. J. Geophys. Res. 112 (2007) A01206 10.1029/2006JA012015
56. Øieroset M., Phan T.D., Fairfield D.H., Raeder J., Gosling J.T., Drake J.F., and Lin R.P. The existence and properties of the distant magnetotail during 32 hours of strongly northward interplanetary magnetic field. J. Geophys. Res. 113 (2008) A04206 10.1029/2007JA012679
57. Peterson W.K., and Shelley E.E. Origin of the plasma in a cross polar cap auroral feature (theta aurora). J. Geophys. Res. 89 (1984) 6729
58. Riehl K.B., and Hardy D.A. Average characteristics of the polar rain and their relationship to the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field. J. Geophys. Res. 91 (1986) 1557
59. Rodriguez J.V., Valladares C.E., Fukui K., and Gallagher H.A. Antisunward decay of polar cap arcs. J. Geophys. Res. 102 (1997) 27227
60. Ruohoniemi J.M., and Baker K.B. Large-scale imaging of high-latitude convection with super dual auroral radar network HF radar observations. J. Geophys. Res. 103 (1998) 20797
61. Shinohara I., and Kokubun S. Statistical properties of particle precipitation in the polar cap during intervals of northward interplanetary magnetic field. J. Geophys. Res. 101 (1996) 69
62. Shirai H., Maezawa K., Fujimoto M., Mukai T., Yamamoto T., Saito Y., Kokubun S., and Kaya N. Drop-off of the polar rain flux near the plasma sheet boundary. J. Geophys. Res. 102 (1997) 2271
63. Shirai H., Maezawa K., Fujimoto M., Mukai T., Yamamoto T., Saito Y., and Kokubun S. Entry process of low-energy electrons into the magnetosphere along open field lines: polar rain electrons as field line tracers. J. Geophys. Res. 103 (1998) 4379
64. Skoug R.M., Feldman W.C., Gosling J.T., McComas D.J., Reisenfeld D.B., Smith C.W., Lepping R.P., and Balogh A. Radial variation of solar wind electrons inside a magnetic cloud observed at 1 and 5 AU. J. Geophys. Res. 105 (2000) 27269
65. Sotirelis T., Newell P.T., and Meng C.-I. Polar rain as a diagnostic of recent rapid dayside merging. J. Geophys. Res. 102 (1997) 7151
66. Sotirelis T., Newell P.T., and Meng C.-I. The shape of the open-closed boundary of the polar cap as determined from observations of precipitating particles by up to four DMSP satellites. J. Geophys. Res. 103 (1998) 399
67. Tanaka T., Obara T., and Kunitake M. Formation of the theta aurora by a transient convection during northward interplanetary magnetic field. J. Geophys. Res. 109 (2004) A09201 10.1029/2003JA010271
68. Torbert R.B., Cattell C.A., Mozer F.S., and Meng C.-I. The boundary of the polar cap and its relation to electric fields, field-aligned currents, and auroral particle precipitation. In: Akasofu S.-I., and Kan J.R. (Eds). Physics of Auroral Arc Formation. Geophysical Monograph 25 (1981), American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC
69. Tsurutani B.T., Arballo J.K., Lakhina J.S., et al. The January 10, 1997 auroral hot spot, horseshoe aurora, and first substorm: a CME loop?. Geophys. Res. Lett. 25 (1998) 3047-3050
70. Valladares C.E., Carlson H.C., and Fukui K. Interplanetary magnetic field dependency of stable Sun-aligned polar cap arcs. J. Geophys. Res. 99 (1994) 6247
71. Wing S., Newell P.T., and Onsager T.G. Modeling the entry of magnetosheath electrons into the dayside ionosphere. J. Geophys. Res. 101 (1996) 13155
72. Winningham J.D., and Heikkila W.J. Polar cap auroral fluxes observed with Isis 1. J. Geophys. Res. 79 (1974) 949
73. Winningham J., Decker D., Kozyra J., Jasperse J., and Nagy A. Energetic (>60 eV) atmospheric photoelectrons. J. Geophys. Res. 94 (1989) 15335-15348
74. Xu D., Kivelson M.G., Walker R.J., Newell P.T., and Meng C.-I. Interplanetary magnetic field control of mantle precipitation and associated field-aligned currents. J. Geophys. Res. 100 (1995) 1837-1846
75. Yeager D.M., and Frank L.A. Low-energy electron intensities at large distances over the Earth's polar cap. J. Geophys. Res. 81 (1976) 3966