Open AccessStatistical patterns in X‐ray and UV auroral emissions and energetic electron precipitation
Author(s) -
Anderson P. C.,
Petrinec S. M.,
Liou K.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2000ja003041
Subject(s) - substorm , magnetosphere , electron precipitation , physics , van allen probes , geomagnetic storm , geophysics , local time , electron , ionosphere , noon , earth's magnetic field , polar , atmospheric sciences , statistical analysis , astrophysics , van allen radiation belt , magnetic field , astronomy , nuclear physics , statistics , mathematics , quantum mechanics
Statistical auroral images from the UV and X‐ray imagers on the Polar spacecraft were compared with each other and with statistical distributions of energetic auroral electron energy fluxes from two different energy ranges: 50 eV to 20 keV and 30 keV to 2 MeV. The individual statistical auroral ovals each had unique features absent in some or all of the other ovals; however, the differences were consistent with the known instrument energy responses, the motion of magnetospheric particles in the inner magnetosphere, and the spectral characteristics of the auroral particles. Separation of the statistical results by Kp showed little difference in the auroral distributions other than in intensity. However, separation of the X‐ray data by Dst showed significant differences, and there were indications that the UV statistical data show a similar dependence. X‐ray emissions, on average, were more intense in the evening sector for Dst > 0, associated with isolated substorm activity and substorm injections, and in the morning sector for Dst < 0, associated with geomagnetic storm activity and strong magnetospheric convection.