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Motion of aurorae
Author(s) -
Chaston Christopher. C.,
Seki Kanako,
Sakanoi Takeshi,
Asamura Kazushi,
Hirahara Masafumi
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2009gl042117
Subject(s) - physics , earth's magnetic field , geophysics , vorticity , spacecraft , wavelet , scale (ratio) , computational physics , field (mathematics) , magnetic field , classical mechanics , meteorology , astronomy , vortex , quantum mechanics , mathematics , artificial intelligence , computer science , pure mathematics
Using high resolution auroral imagery and particle measurements from the Reimei spacecraft we distinguish ‘Alfvénic’ and ‘quasi‐static’ auroral forms and implement a new multi‐scale wavelet analysis technique to examine how the vorticity in these forms varies as a function of scale transverse to the geomagnetic field. We find from this analysis that the complex motions of aurorae can be described by power‐laws relating spatial scale to optical vorticity. We demonstrate how these relationships naturally arise from the ‘conductance’ of geomagnetic field‐lines and the physics of Alfvén waves.