Azimuthal Motion of Poleward Moving Auroral Forms
Abstract
Poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs), the most common dayside auroral structure, images the process of energy and particle transport from the solar wind to the magnetosphere via magnetic reconnection. This form of aurora moves not only poleward, but also in the azimuthal (dawn‐dusk) direction. However, the underlying mechanism responsible for the azimuthal motion of PMAFs are not thoroughly investigated. Here based on all‐sky imager observations in the southern hemisphere, we statistically determine that the azimuthal motion of PMAFs is highly dependent on the dawn‐dusk component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF By). Using three‐dimensional (3‐D) global hybrid simulations, we demonstrate that IMF By controls the azimuthal motion of PMAFs through plasma flow derived from magnetic tension of magnetopause flux ropes. Our study, by focusing on the azimuthal motion of PMAFs, allows a better understanding of space weather, especially from a 3‐D perspective.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Aug 24, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1029/2022gl099753
Entities
People
- Boyi Wang
- Jin Guo
- Qing-He Zhang
- Quanming Lu
- Rongsheng Wang
- San Lu
- Xueyi Wang
- Y. Lin
- Yen‐jung Wu
- Yukitoshi Nishimura
- Zan‐Yang Xing
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Auburn University
- Boston University
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Harbin Institute of Technology
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Shandong University
- University of Science and Technology of China