Auroral magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling: a brief topical review

Technical Report · Tue Apr 10 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5363559

Chiu, Y T; Schulz, M; Cornwall, J M

Auroral arcs result from the acceleration and precipitation of magnetospheric plasma in narrow regions characterized by strong electric fields both perpendicular and parallel to the earth's magnetic field. The various mechanisms that were proposed for the origin of such strong electric fields are often complementary Such mechanisms include: (1) electrostatic double layers; (2) double reverse shock; (3) anomalous resistivity; (4) magnetic mirroring of hot plasma; and (5) mapping of the magnetospheric-convection electric field through an auroral discontinuity.

• Research Organization: Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5363559
• Report Number(s): N-79-24572
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
640203 -- Atmospheric Physics-- Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (-1987)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AURORAE
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
COUPLING
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRIC FIELDS
IONOSPHERE
MAGNETOSPHERE
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES