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Association of Auroral Streamers and Bursty Bulk Flows During Different States of the Magnetotail: A Case Study
Author(s) -
Ferdousi Banafsheh,
Raeder Joachim,
Zesta Eftyhia,
Cramer William,
Murphy Kyle
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1029/2021ja029329
Subject(s) - substorm , ionosphere , physics , magnetosphere , geophysics , plasma sheet , magnetometer , flux (metallurgy) , coupling (piping) , space physics , computational physics , plasma , magnetic field , mechanical engineering , materials science , quantum mechanics , engineering , metallurgy
In‐situ measurements in the magnetotail are sparse and limited to single points. On the other hand, there is a broad range of observations, including magnetometers, aurora imagers, and radars, in the ionosphere. Since the nightside ionosphere resembles the magnetotail plasma sheet dynamics projection, it can be used to monitor the tail's dynamics. A proper interpretation of the ionosphere and ground observations necessitates understanding the coupling processes between the ionosphere and the magnetosphere. Here, we use the global magnetohydrodynamic simulation model, OpenGGCM‐CTIM‐RCM, to investigate these coupling processes during periods when the magnetic flux is transported through the tail via narrow fast flow channels, typically called bursty bulk flows (BBFs). We consider three relevant states of the magnetotail: immediately before the substorm's onset, during the expansion of the substorm, and during a steady magnetic convection (SMC) event. The number of flow channels increases, and they penetrate closer to the Earth during SMC. The IMF B y direction influences fast flows' location but not their orientation in the plasma sheet during this event. However, the dimension of fast flows and streamers do not depend on the IMF conditions and state of the magnetosphere.