Magnetospheric Source and Electric Current System Associated With Intense SAIDs

Abstract

Subauroral Ion Drifts (SAIDs) are fast azimuthal plasma flows in the ionosphere. In this study, we use the Rice Convection Model to simulate an extremely intense SAID event which may trigger atmospheric emission phenomenon by specifying consecutive low‐entropy bubble injections. The results show strong SAID flow faster than ∼5,000 m/s that lasts longer than 100 min. Our model indicates that SAIDs map to the sharp inner edge of a strongly enhanced partial ring current, which connects to a Region‐2 downward field‐aligned current (FAC). The simulation predicts that the peak of the SAIDs, the center of the downward FAC, the subauroral boundary, the plasmapause, the inner edge of the proton and electron partial ring current, and the maximum azimuthal drift in the magnetosphere are pressed tightly within 0.5° latitude or 0.2 Re in the equatorial plane.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Nov 18, 2021
Source ID
10.1029/2021gl093253

Entities

People

  • Dong Wei
  • F. Toffoletto
  • Fei Zhang
  • Jian Yang
  • Jun Cui
  • R. A. Wolf
  • Stanislav Sazykin
  • Vassilis Angelopoulos
  • Weiqin Sun
  • Wenrui Wang
  • Yukitoshi Nishimura

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Boston University
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China
  • National Science Foundation
  • Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School
  • Rice University
  • Southern University of Science and Technology
  • Sun Yat-sen University
  • University of California, Los Angeles

Tags

Readers

  • Coastal Oceanography
  • Space/Atmospheric Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics