Sources of field-aligned currents in the auroral plasma

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/90GL02674· OSTI ID:5152713

Marshall, J A; Burch, J L ^[1]; Kan, J R ^[2]; Reiff, P H ^[3]; Slavin, J A ^[4]

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1. Southwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX (United States)
2. Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks (United States)
3. Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States)
4. Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Island, VA (United States)

Data from the Dynamics Explorer 1 High Altitude Plasma Instrument (HAPI) and magnetometer are used to investigate the sources of field-aligned currents in the nightside auroral zone. It is found that the formula developed by S. Knight predicts the field-aligned current density fairly accurately in regions where a significant potential drop can be inferred from the HAPI data; there are, however, regions in which the proportionality between potential drop and field-aligned current does not hold. In particular, the authors note occurrences of strong upward field-aligned current associated not with inverted-V events but instead with suprathermal bursts. In addition, upward field-aligned currents are often observed to peak near the edges of inverted-V events, rather than in the center as would be predicted by Knight.

• OSTI ID: 5152713
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States) Vol. 18:1; ISSN GPRLA; ISSN 0094-8276
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ALTITUDE
AURORAL OVAL
AURORAL ZONES
CHARGED PARTICLES
CURRENT DENSITY
CURRENTS
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EXPLORER SATELLITES
FERMIONS
IONS
LEPTONS
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
ORIENTATION
PHASE SPACE
SATELLITES
SPACE
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION