ionospheric current and aurora csi 662 / astr 769 lect. 12 spring 2007 april 24, 2007 references:...
TRANSCRIPT
Ionospheric Current and Aurora
CSI 662 / ASTR 769 Lect. 12 Spring 2007
April 24, 2007
References:
•Prolss: Chap. 7.1-7.6, P349-379 (main)•Tascione: Chap. 8, P. 99 – 112 (supplement)
Topics
• Polar Upper Atmosphere• Ionospheric Currents• Aurorae• Ionosphere and magnetosphere coupling
Ionosphere Currents
Polar Upper Atmosphere• Polar Cap: ~ 30°• Polar oval: a few degree• Subpolar latitude
Polar Upper AtmosphereMagnetic field connection• Polar Cap: magnetotail lobe region, open• Polar oval: plasma sheet, open• Subpolar latitude: conjugate dipole field, closed
Convection and Electric Field• Polar cap electric field Epc
• Dawn to dusk direction• Epc = 10 mV/m• Polar cap potential: ~ 30 kV from 6 LT to 18 LT, over
3000 km
Convection and Electric Field• Polar cap electric field originates from solar wind dynamo
electric field• Same direction• Same overall electric potential drop• Electric field is ~ 40 times as strong as in solar wind
Eswsw BUE
Convection and Electric Field• Polar cap convection
• Caused by EXB drift• anti-sunward• Drift time scale cross the polar cap ~ 2 hours
BEUD /
Drift velocity = 500 m/s, whenE=10 mV/m, andB=20000 nT
Convection and Electric Field• Polar oval electric field Eo
• Dusk to dawn direction, opposite to polar cap field• E0 = 30 mV/m• Counter-balance the polar cap field
• Polar oval convection• Sunward convection• Form a close loop with the polar cap convection• Two convection cells
Convection and Electric Field• Polar oval electric field Eo
• Dusk to dawn direction, opposite to polar cap field• E0 = 30 mV/m• Counter-balance the polar cap field
• Polar oval convection• Sunward convection• Form a close loop with the polar cap convection• Two convection cells
Ionosphere Current• Pederson current: perpendicular B, parallel E ; horizontal• Hall current: perpendicular B, perpendicular E ;
horizontal• Burkeland current: parallel to B ; vertical
Ionosphere Current• Birkeland current: Field-aligned current
• Region 1 current: on the poleward side of the polar oval• Region 2 current: on the equatorward side of the polar oval
Ionosphere Current• Pederson current flows from dawn to dusk in the polar cap• Pederson current flows radially in the polar oval, dusk to dawn• Pederson current forms a closed loop with Burkeland currents
in the two boundary regions: region 1 and 2• Hall current direction is opposite to the convection, because
ions drift slower than the electrons• Westward at the dawn sector• Eastward at the dusk sector
Ionosphere Conductivity
Euuen
uuenj
Ej
ei
ei
/)(
)(
Deriving conductivity σ is to find the drift velocity under the E in the three components:
• Birkeland σ: parallel to B• Pederson σ: parallel to E, E per B• Hall σ: per E and B
Ionosphere Conductivity
Parallel conductivity BE
//
ieemne
snsss umEq
,
2
//
, 0
For plasmas (without neutral), Coulomb collision
ln/])[(108 2/33// kTe
Force equilibrium:Electric force = frictional forceNo Lorentz force
Ionosphere Conductivity
Transverse conductivity BE
0)( , snssss umBuEq
Force equilibrium:Electric force + magnetic force= frictional force
Ionosphere Conductivity
Transverse conductivity BE
}{
}{
22,
2
22,
2
22,
,
22,
,
)()(
)(
)()(
)(
)()()()(
iBni
iB
eBne
eB
iBni
iBni
eBne
eBne
Ben
H
Ben
P
Maximum conductivity: Transverse conductivity, especially Hall, confines to a rather narrow range of height (~ 125 km), the so called dynamo layer
iBni ,
Aurora
Image taken near Richmond VA, Oct 29, 2003
Akasofu, Secrets of the Aurora
Patches and Bands
Akasofu, Secrets of the Aurora
Aurora• Form
• Discrete: arcs, bands, rays, patches• Diffuse
• Height: > 100 km• Orientation
• Vertical: along the magnetic field line• Horizontal: primarily east-west direction
• Colors and emitting elements• O: red (630.0 nm, 630.4 nm), yellow-green (557.7 nm)• N2
+: blue-violet (391.4 nm – 470 nm)• N2: dark red (650 nm – 680 nm)
• Intensity: up to a few 100 kR (kilo Rayleigh)
Aurora• Aurorae are caused by the incidence of energetic particles onto
the upper atmosphere• Particles move-in along the open polar magnetic fields• The particles are mostly electrons in the energy range of ~100
ev to 10 kev. • Ions are also observed
Aurora Processes• Primary collision
• Scattering (elastic collision)• Collisional ionization• Collisional dissociation• Collisional excitation
• Secondary process• Secondary ionization• Secondary dissociation• Secondary scattering• Charge exchange• Dissociation exchange• Excitation exchange• Dissociative recombination• Radiative recombination• Collisional quenching
Energy conversion:•1% radiation•50% heating•30% chemical energy•Other: scatter back to magnetosphere
The Rayleigh (R): A Basic Unit for measuring Aurora-Airglow Emissions
0
dzI(θ,φ, ) = ε(z,θ,φ, )
cosθ
• One R corresponds to the emission rate of 106 photons per second radiated isotropically from an atmospheric column with a base area of 1 cm2
• Brightness of the Milky Way Galaxy: 1 kR
Auroral Particles• Not solar wind particles• Particles are from magnetotail plasma sheet, with which the
polar oval is magnetically connected• Diffuse aurora
• convection and subsequent pitch angle diffusion of plasma sheet particles
• Discrete aurora• Produced by higher energy electrons (Ee > 1 keV) • Plasma sheet electron (Ee < 1 keV)• Additional acceleration is needed • Acceleration along magnetic field-aligned electric fields
• Double layer• Plasma instability produces localized potential
differences
Ionosphere-Magnetosphere Coupling• Region 1 current
• Magnetotail current is re-directed to the ionosphere
• Also produce auroral oval electrojet
• Energy is from solar wind dynamo
• Energy is dissipated in the ionosphere through Joule heating
Ionosphere-Magnetosphere Coupling• Region 2 current
• Associated magnetic field lines end in the equatorial plane of the dawn and dusk magnetosphere at a geocentric distance of L ≈ 7-10
• Driven by excess charge in the dawn and dusk sectors of the dipole field, caused by different particle paths of electrons and ions
Ionosphere-Magnetosphere Coupling• Drift of particles from
the plasma sheet
Lu
u
D
BEE
D
ED
grD
gr Lu
Lu
1
2
3
• At small L, curvature-gradient drift dominates
• Particles can only drift to within a certain distance of the dipole
• Ions and electrons drifts in different direction along the dipole
• There is a forbidden zone for ions (electrons)
• Excess charges accumulate
The End