Geomagnetic storms can result in large magnetic field disturbances and intense currents in the magnetosphere and even on the ground.As an important medium of momentum and energy transport among the solar wind,magnetos...Geomagnetic storms can result in large magnetic field disturbances and intense currents in the magnetosphere and even on the ground.As an important medium of momentum and energy transport among the solar wind,magnetosphere,and ionosphere,field-aligned currents(FACs)can also be strengthened in storm times.This study shows the responses of FACs in the plasma sheet boundary layer(PSBL)observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale(MMS)spacecraft in different phases of a large storm that lasted from May 27,2017,to May 29,2017.Most of the FACs were carried by electrons,and several FACs in the storm time also contained sufficient ion FACs.The FAC magnitudes were larger in the storm than in the quiet period,and those in the main phase were the strongest.In this case,the direction of the FACs in the main phase showed no preference for tailward or earthward,whereas the direction of the FACs in the recovery phase was mostly tailward.The results suggest that the FACs in the PSBL are closely related to the storm and could be driven by activities in the tail region,where the energy transported from the solar wind to the magnetosphere is stored and released as the storm is evolving.Thus,the FACs are an important medium of energy transport between the tail and the ionosphere,and the PSBL is a significant magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling region in the nightside.展开更多
A combined action of plasma convection and pitch-angle diffusion of electrons and protons leads to the formation of plasma pressure distribution in the magnetosphere on the night side, and, as it is known, steady elec...A combined action of plasma convection and pitch-angle diffusion of electrons and protons leads to the formation of plasma pressure distribution in the magnetosphere on the night side, and, as it is known, steady electric bulk currents are connected to distribution of gas pressure. The divergence of these bulk currents brings about a spatial distribution of field-aligned currents, i.e. magnetospheric sources of ionospheric current. The projection (mapping) of the plasma pressure relief onto the ionosphere corresponds to the form and position of the auroral oval. This projection, like the real oval, executes a motion with a change of the convection electric field, and expands with an enhancement of the field. Knowing the distribution (3D) of the plasma pressure we can determine the places of MHD-compressor and MHD-generators location in the magnetosphere. Unfortunately, direct observations of plasma distribution in the magnetosphere are faced with large difficulties, because pressure must be known everywhere in the plasma sheet at high resolution, which in situ satellites have been unable to provide. Modeling of distribution of plasma pressure (on ~ 3-12 Re) is very important, because the data from multisatellite magnetospheric missions for these purposes would be a very expensive project.展开更多
Field-aligned coordinates have been implemented in the gyrokinetic semi-Lagrangian code NLT, Ye et al （2016 J. Comput. Phys. 316 180）, to improve the computational efficiency for the numerical simulations of tokamak...Field-aligned coordinates have been implemented in the gyrokinetic semi-Lagrangian code NLT, Ye et al （2016 J. Comput. Phys. 316 180）, to improve the computational efficiency for the numerical simulations of tokamak turbulence and transport. 4D B-spline interpolation in field- aligned coordinates is applied to solve the gyrokinetic Vlasov equation. A fast iterative algorithm is proposed for efficiently solving the quasi-neutrality equation. A pseudo transform method is used for the numerical integration of the gyro-average operator for perturbations with a high toroidal mode number. The new method is shown to result in an improved code performance for reaching a given accuracy. Some numerical tests are presented to illustrate the new methods.展开更多
In this investigation effort, we eventually infer that the overall quadrapole pattern of B<sub>y</sub> deflections, in the vicinity of a source in the Earth’s magnetotail, is most likely due to field alig...In this investigation effort, we eventually infer that the overall quadrapole pattern of B<sub>y</sub> deflections, in the vicinity of a source in the Earth’s magnetotail, is most likely due to field aligned currents (FACs) and not to Hall currents associated with an X-type collisionless reconnection. This categorically expressed statement is based upon sufficient observational evidence tightly associated with our own suggested model and the preceded works of the same author. Using representative events measured by satellite, our main aim is to describe the nature of the fundamental mechanism determining the polarity of the B<sub>y</sub> deflections associated with intense earthward ionplasma flows. A major finding is that we either observe magnetic flux rope (MFR) like structures (that is, entities having all the morphological features of ropes; i.e., a dipolar signature of B<sub>z</sub> occurring simultaneously with peaked B<sub>y</sub> and B<sub>total</sub> deflections) or mere B<sub>y</sub> deflections, however, the sign for all these (B<sub>y</sub>deflections) is always determined by the satellite placement in north (positive) or south (negative) plasma sheet. Therefore, the MFR-like structures located earthward of the source are most likely pseudo-MFRs;there is neither a tubular topology nor an axial magnetic field, the B<sub>y</sub> deflections are produced by FACs. According to the presented model, a fundamental concept is that both ions and electrons are simultaneously accelerated at the source site;in turn, the earthward streaming electrons (ions) form a bifurcated electron (ion) FAC just outside the electron diffusion region-EDR (IDR). In this way, inside the IDR (and earthward of the source) positive (negative) B<sub>y</sub> deflections in north (south) plasma sheet (PS) are produced due to FACs, and not to (inward) Hall currents as in the context of an X-line. Moreover, the ions form an “ion jet” within the IDR, while just outside this region they produce positive (negative) B<sub>y</sub> deflections in north (south) PS caused by ion FACs. The ion jet in the IDR is enveloped by the bifurcated electron FAC. Eventually, although the resulting pattern of B<sub>y</sub> deflections, due to both electron and ion FACs, is apparently the same with that resulting from Hall currents (in the X-line model), the underlying natural processes are, however, radically different. Certainly, the dominant “spatial entity” within the IDR is the ion jet-current (and not the Hall-electron current). Additional implications of the ion jets are also discussed.展开更多
A 3-dimensional resistive MHD simulation was carried out to study the effect of the upward ions on the field-aligned currents (FACs) in the near-earth magnetotail. The simulation results show that the up-flow ions ori...A 3-dimensional resistive MHD simulation was carried out to study the effect of the upward ions on the field-aligned currents (FACs) in the near-earth magnetotail. The simulation results show that the up-flow ions originating from the nightside auroral oval would drift into the center plasma sheet along the magnetic field lines in the plasma sheet boundary, and have an important effect on the field-aligned currents. The main conclusions include that: 1) the upward-ions mainly affect the field- aligned currents in the near-earth magnetotail (inside 15 Re); 2) the generated FACs in the near-earth region have two types, i.e., Region 1 FAC in the high-latitude and Region 2 FAC in the low-latitude; 3) FACs increase with the enhancement of the upward ion flux; 4) with the same flux of the upward ions, FACs enhance with the increase of the velocity of the up-flow ions; 5) the intensification of FACs is also closely related with the latitude of the upward ions, and the ions from the closed field line region generate larger FACs; 6) the generation of FACs is closely related with By created by the upward ions.展开更多
Using data from the Cluster spacecraft from January 2003 to December 2004, we perform a statistical study on some properties of the field-aligned electron(FAE) events and interplanetary magnetic field(IMF) By dependen...Using data from the Cluster spacecraft from January 2003 to December 2004, we perform a statistical study on some properties of the field-aligned electron(FAE) events and interplanetary magnetic field(IMF) By dependence of FAE events with different durations in high-altitude polar regions. A total of 1335 FAE events were observed by the C3 spacecraft. More down-flowing events were observed in the Southern Hemisphere, and more up-flowing events were observed in the Northern Hemisphere. It proves that down-flowing events mainly originate from magnetosphere or solar wind and up-flowing events are mainly derived from ionosphere. Short-lifetime events showed a morning concentration in the magnetic local time distribution, and long-lifetime events were concentrated both before and after noon. For the IMF By dependence of the FAE events, short-lifetime events were much affected by IMF By and resulted in a morning concentration, while the long-lifetime events were almost unaffected by IMF By. With further analysis, we determined that the short-lifetime and long-lifetime events had different sources.展开更多
Field-aligned currents in the inner magnetosphere arc studied by using ISEE-2 magnetometer da-la, A method is proposed to calculate ×B with single-satellite data. From the morphology of ×B in time (or L). a ...Field-aligned currents in the inner magnetosphere arc studied by using ISEE-2 magnetometer da-la, A method is proposed to calculate ×B with single-satellite data. From the morphology of ×B in time (or L). a lot of large fluctuations are found in ×B near L = 5.5RE corresponding to the field-aligned currents. Statistical study shows that the field-aligned current in the inner magnetosphere is a function of B, L, MLT and AL. The region of the projections of ×B along the magnetic field line onto the ionosphere is not symmetrical for the geomagnetic pole. The inner boundary is independent of the geomagnetic disturbance, but during substorms the outer boundary shifts equatorward. The spatial distribution of the in- and out-flowing currents is complicated. The region-1-and-2 system is hardly distinguishable.展开更多
Accurate modeling of Earth's ionospheric F-region currents is essential for refining geomagnetic field models and understanding magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.In this study,we develop averaged models to charact...Accurate modeling of Earth's ionospheric F-region currents is essential for refining geomagnetic field models and understanding magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.In this study,we develop averaged models to characterize F-region currents using magnetic data from the MSS-1(Macao Science Satellite-1) and Swarm satellite missions.Our approach employs a toroidal field representation,utilizing spherical harmonics to capture spatial variations and Fourier series to represent temporal dynamics.Two models,Model-A and Model-B,derived from distinct datasets,are constructed to represent current patterns at altitudes of 450 km and 512 km,respectively.Our models successfully capture the primary spatial structures and seasonal variations of polar field-aligned currents.Additionally,they accurately reproduce the localized inter-hemispheric field-aligned currents observed in mid and low latitudes during solstices,particularly between 14:00 and 16:00 magnetic local times.These findings enhance our understanding of ionospheric F-region currents and contribute to more precise geomagnetic field modeling.展开更多
A long-standing mystery in the study of Field-Aligned Currents(FACs) has been that: how the currents are generated and why they appear to be much stronger at high altitudes than in the ionosphere. Here we present two ...A long-standing mystery in the study of Field-Aligned Currents(FACs) has been that: how the currents are generated and why they appear to be much stronger at high altitudes than in the ionosphere. Here we present two events of magnetotail FACs observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale Spacecraft(MMS) on 1 st July and 14 th July 2016, to show how the Substorm Current Wedges(SCW) were formed. The results show that particles were transferred heading towards the Earth during the expansion phase of substorms.The azimuthal flow formed clockwise(counter-clockwise) vortex-like motion, and then generated downward(upward) FACs on the tailward/poleward side of the distorted field with opposite vorticity on their Earthward/equatorward side. We also analyzed the Region 1 FACs observed by the Earth Explorer Swarm spacecraft on 1 st July 2016 and found that they were associated with FACs observed by MMS, although differing by a factor of 10. This difference suggests that either there was the closure of the currents at altitudes above 500 km or the currents were not strictly parallel to B and closed at longitudes away from where they were generated.展开更多
Interplanetary shocks or solar wind pressure pulses have prompted impacts on Earth's magnetospheric and ionospheric environment, especially in causing dynamic changes to the bright aurora in the polar ionosphere. ...Interplanetary shocks or solar wind pressure pulses have prompted impacts on Earth's magnetospheric and ionospheric environment, especially in causing dynamic changes to the bright aurora in the polar ionosphere. The auroral phenomenon associated with shock impingements, referred to as shock aurora, exhibits distinct signatures differing from other geophysical features on the dayside polar ionosphere. Shock aurora provides a direct manifestation of the solar wind–magnetosphere–ionosphere interaction. Imagers onboard satellites can obtain the associated large-scale auroral characteristics during shock impingement on the magnetopause. Therefore, auroral data from satellites are very useful for surveying the comprehensive features of shock aurora and their general evolution. Nonetheless, the ground-based high temporal-spatial resolution all-sky imagers installed at scientific stations play an essential role in revealing medium-and small-scale characteristics of shock aurora. Here, we focus on shock aurora imaging signatures measured by imagers onboard satellites and ground-based all-sky imagers.展开更多
In Earth's high-latitude ionosphere, the poleward motion of east–west elongated auroral arcs has been attributed to standing hydromagnetic waves, especially when the auroral arcs appear quasi-periodically with a ...In Earth's high-latitude ionosphere, the poleward motion of east–west elongated auroral arcs has been attributed to standing hydromagnetic waves, especially when the auroral arcs appear quasi-periodically with a recurrence time of a few minutes. The validation of this scenario requires spacecraft observations of ultra-low-frequency hydromagnetic waves in the magnetosphere and simultaneous observations of poleward-moving auroral arcs near the spacecraft footprints. Here we present the first observational evidence from the multi-spacecraft THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) mission and the conjugated all-sky imager to support the scenario that standing hydromagnetic waves can generate the quasi-periodic appearance of poleward-moving auroral arcs. In this specific event, the observed waves were toroidal branches of the standing hydromagnetic waves, which were excited by a pulse in the solar wind dynamic pressure. Multi-spacecraft measurements from THEMIS also suggest higher wave frequencies at lower L shells (consistent with the distribution of magnetic field line eigenfrequencies), which indicates that the phase difference across latitudes would increase with time. As time proceeds, the enlarged phase difference corresponds to a lower propagation speed of the auroral arcs, which agrees very well with the ground-based optical data.展开更多
In this study, we present a simulation study of artificial field-aligned irregularities(AFAI) to calculate the scattering coefficient considering a Gaussian autocorrelation function for the wave number spectrum of the...In this study, we present a simulation study of artificial field-aligned irregularities(AFAI) to calculate the scattering coefficient considering a Gaussian autocorrelation function for the wave number spectrum of the density fluctuation. By analyzing variations in the scattering coefficient under different ionospheric backgrounds, the optimal range of the heating frequency was found,which is about 0.9–1 times the critical frequency of the F2 layer. This is especially noticeable as when the heating frequency varies from 0.5 times to 0.9 times of the critical frequency, the scattering coefficient increases by 6.8–16.2 d B. These results should be useful for optimizing the heating frequency in the future artificial field-aligned scattering(AFAS) transmission applications at middle and low latitudes.展开更多
Solar coronal loops are frequently accompanied by the field-aligned currents, which drive instabilities if the drift velocity u0 > v A the Alfv′en velocity. For our choice of parameters, the critical threshold val...Solar coronal loops are frequently accompanied by the field-aligned currents, which drive instabilities if the drift velocity u0 > v A the Alfv′en velocity. For our choice of parameters, the critical threshold value of u0/v A is ～ 3.0 for growth and the corresponding current filling factor ～ 10-3-10-4. Below this value we are no longer in the kinetic regime.The coronal loops also have short-scale density gradients within each loop. The electron resonance in the presence of density gradient causes the drift mode to grow. We study the effect of these two free energy sources, the electron drift and the density gradient, in the presence of temperature anisotropy T⊥_α > T∥_α. These effects simultaneously exist in the coronae. Using gyrokinetic theory, we investigate the influence of these effects, examine how they interplay with each other and study the consequent growth of the magnetosonic wave. We observe that kinetic instability driven by density gradient can be suppressed by field-aligned currents. The temperature anisotropy with chosen signatures causes further stabilizing effect. The results may prove useful to study the heating mechanism of solar coronal loops, acceleration of particles and confinement of particles in the thermonuclear reactors.展开更多
We have studied 172 field-aligned currents （FACs） cases observed by the ClusterlI satellites when they crossed the plasma sheet boundary layer （PSBL） in the magnetotail from July to October 2001. We mainly analyze...We have studied 172 field-aligned currents （FACs） cases observed by the ClusterlI satellites when they crossed the plasma sheet boundary layer （PSBL） in the magnetotail from July to October 2001. We mainly analyzed the relationship between the characteristic of FACs at the PSBL in magnetotail and the Kp index. The main results indicated the followings： 1） In the different geomagnetic activity levels, the relative occurrence of FACs in PSBL increased monotonically with geomagnetic activity. 2） The density of FACs in PSBL increased monotonically with Kp index. In the storm main phase, the density of FACs increased dramatically, the maximum FACs approximately equaled 19.05 nA m-2 while Kp equaled 5.3） The variation of FACs density in PSBL was consistent with the variation of the Kp index. However, when AE〈800 nT, FACs density in PSBL increased with increasing AE, and when AE〉800 nT, it decreased with increasing AE. Therefore, our results suggested that the FACs density in PSBL had a closer correlation with Kp index.展开更多
Interferometry plays an important role in revealing fine-scale structures of ionospheric irregularity.By placing an additional receiving array of four 5-element Yagi antennas in the north of the main East-West array o...Interferometry plays an important role in revealing fine-scale structures of ionospheric irregularity.By placing an additional receiving array of four 5-element Yagi antennas in the north of the main East-West array of the Sanya VHF radar,multiple interferometry baselines with components parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic meridian are formed.These baselines allow us to study the three-dimensional(3D)behavior of low-latitude ionospheric field-aligned irregularity(FAI)over Sanya.Using multiple non-collinear receiving baselines,an experiment for which the Sanya VHF radar operated as an interferometer was performed on 10 July 2013.Ionospheric E-region FAI echoes with periods of several minutes were observed during 0745-0915 UT;mean Doppler velocity was around -30 m/s with spectral widths of about 50 m/s.The interferometry results show fine-scale structures of E-region FAI with a zonal scale size of 15 km or less.In addition,we found that the periodic variations of echo intensity shown in radar range-time-intensity(RTI)maps were produced by spatially separated E-region irregularity patches.The patches drifted westward with a velocity of about 40-60 m/s and could be associated with propagating gravity waves.These results provide a clearer picture of the characteristics of FAI and thus help to investigate the generation and dynamics of low-latitude ionospheric irregularities in the Chinese sector.展开更多
The boundary plasma turbulence code BOUT models tokamak boundaryplasma turbulence in a realistic divertor geometry usingmodified Braginskii equations for plasma vorticity,density(ni),electron and ion temperature(Te,Ti...The boundary plasma turbulence code BOUT models tokamak boundaryplasma turbulence in a realistic divertor geometry usingmodified Braginskii equations for plasma vorticity,density(ni),electron and ion temperature(Te,Ti)and parallelmomenta.The BOUT code solves for the plasma fluid equations in a three dimensional(3D)toroidal segment(or a toroidal wedge),including the region somewhat inside the separatrix and extending into the scrape-off layer;the private flux region is also included.In this paper,a description is given of the sophisticated physical models,innovative numerical algorithms,and modern software design used to simulate edgeplasmas in magnetic fusion energy devices.The BOUT code’s unique capabilities and functionality are exemplified via simulations of the impact of plasma density on tokamak edge turbulence and blob dynamics.展开更多
The ionospheric equivalent currents in the high latitudes and the auroral electrojet sys- tem during the geomagnetic storm on July 15-16, 2000 are analyzed by using geomagnetic data from IMAGE chain. The large-scale v...The ionospheric equivalent currents in the high latitudes and the auroral electrojet sys- tem during the geomagnetic storm on July 15-16, 2000 are analyzed by using geomagnetic data from IMAGE chain. The large-scale vortices of equivalent currents are observed in the storm. The vortices on the dusk side of ionosphere correspond to four-celled pattern of plasma convection associated with NBZ, region I and region II field-aligned currents. Only one vortex can be found on the dawn side of ionosphere after interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) turns southward. In the initial phase of the storm, the center of eastward electrojets tends to shift equatorward. It arrives at 58.62 latitude of corrected geomagnetic coordinates (CGM). The westward electrojets are strong in the main phase. The center of westward electrojets in this period moves equatorward and may be beyond the southernmost station (56.45°) of the chain.展开更多
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFCGrant Nos.42204177,42274219,41974205,42130204,42241155,and 42241133)+5 种基金the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation-Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong(Grant Nos.2022A1515010257,2022A1515011698,and 2023A1515030132)the Shenzhen Science and Technology Research Program(Grant Nos.JCYJ20210324121403009 and JCYJ20210324121412034)the Macao foundation,the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.HIT.OCEF.2022041)the Shenzhen Key Laboratory Launching Project(Grant No.ZDSYS20210702140800001)the pre-research project on Civil Aerospace Technologies(Grant No.D020103)funded by the China National Space Administration.YuanQiang Chen was also funded by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2022M720944)supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology.
文摘Geomagnetic storms can result in large magnetic field disturbances and intense currents in the magnetosphere and even on the ground.As an important medium of momentum and energy transport among the solar wind,magnetosphere,and ionosphere,field-aligned currents(FACs)can also be strengthened in storm times.This study shows the responses of FACs in the plasma sheet boundary layer(PSBL)observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale(MMS)spacecraft in different phases of a large storm that lasted from May 27,2017,to May 29,2017.Most of the FACs were carried by electrons,and several FACs in the storm time also contained sufficient ion FACs.The FAC magnitudes were larger in the storm than in the quiet period,and those in the main phase were the strongest.In this case,the direction of the FACs in the main phase showed no preference for tailward or earthward,whereas the direction of the FACs in the recovery phase was mostly tailward.The results suggest that the FACs in the PSBL are closely related to the storm and could be driven by activities in the tail region,where the energy transported from the solar wind to the magnetosphere is stored and released as the storm is evolving.Thus,the FACs are an important medium of energy transport between the tail and the ionosphere,and the PSBL is a significant magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling region in the nightside.
文摘A combined action of plasma convection and pitch-angle diffusion of electrons and protons leads to the formation of plasma pressure distribution in the magnetosphere on the night side, and, as it is known, steady electric bulk currents are connected to distribution of gas pressure. The divergence of these bulk currents brings about a spatial distribution of field-aligned currents, i.e. magnetospheric sources of ionospheric current. The projection (mapping) of the plasma pressure relief onto the ionosphere corresponds to the form and position of the auroral oval. This projection, like the real oval, executes a motion with a change of the convection electric field, and expands with an enhancement of the field. Knowing the distribution (3D) of the plasma pressure we can determine the places of MHD-compressor and MHD-generators location in the magnetosphere. Unfortunately, direct observations of plasma distribution in the magnetosphere are faced with large difficulties, because pressure must be known everywhere in the plasma sheet at high resolution, which in situ satellites have been unable to provide. Modeling of distribution of plasma pressure (on ~ 3-12 Re) is very important, because the data from multisatellite magnetospheric missions for these purposes would be a very expensive project.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.11505240,11375196 and 11405174the National ITER program of China under Contract No.2014GB113000
文摘Field-aligned coordinates have been implemented in the gyrokinetic semi-Lagrangian code NLT, Ye et al （2016 J. Comput. Phys. 316 180）, to improve the computational efficiency for the numerical simulations of tokamak turbulence and transport. 4D B-spline interpolation in field- aligned coordinates is applied to solve the gyrokinetic Vlasov equation. A fast iterative algorithm is proposed for efficiently solving the quasi-neutrality equation. A pseudo transform method is used for the numerical integration of the gyro-average operator for perturbations with a high toroidal mode number. The new method is shown to result in an improved code performance for reaching a given accuracy. Some numerical tests are presented to illustrate the new methods.
文摘In this investigation effort, we eventually infer that the overall quadrapole pattern of B<sub>y</sub> deflections, in the vicinity of a source in the Earth’s magnetotail, is most likely due to field aligned currents (FACs) and not to Hall currents associated with an X-type collisionless reconnection. This categorically expressed statement is based upon sufficient observational evidence tightly associated with our own suggested model and the preceded works of the same author. Using representative events measured by satellite, our main aim is to describe the nature of the fundamental mechanism determining the polarity of the B<sub>y</sub> deflections associated with intense earthward ionplasma flows. A major finding is that we either observe magnetic flux rope (MFR) like structures (that is, entities having all the morphological features of ropes; i.e., a dipolar signature of B<sub>z</sub> occurring simultaneously with peaked B<sub>y</sub> and B<sub>total</sub> deflections) or mere B<sub>y</sub> deflections, however, the sign for all these (B<sub>y</sub>deflections) is always determined by the satellite placement in north (positive) or south (negative) plasma sheet. Therefore, the MFR-like structures located earthward of the source are most likely pseudo-MFRs;there is neither a tubular topology nor an axial magnetic field, the B<sub>y</sub> deflections are produced by FACs. According to the presented model, a fundamental concept is that both ions and electrons are simultaneously accelerated at the source site;in turn, the earthward streaming electrons (ions) form a bifurcated electron (ion) FAC just outside the electron diffusion region-EDR (IDR). In this way, inside the IDR (and earthward of the source) positive (negative) B<sub>y</sub> deflections in north (south) plasma sheet (PS) are produced due to FACs, and not to (inward) Hall currents as in the context of an X-line. Moreover, the ions form an “ion jet” within the IDR, while just outside this region they produce positive (negative) B<sub>y</sub> deflections in north (south) PS caused by ion FACs. The ion jet in the IDR is enveloped by the bifurcated electron FAC. Eventually, although the resulting pattern of B<sub>y</sub> deflections, due to both electron and ion FACs, is apparently the same with that resulting from Hall currents (in the X-line model), the underlying natural processes are, however, radically different. Certainly, the dominant “spatial entity” within the IDR is the ion jet-current (and not the Hall-electron current). Additional implications of the ion jets are also discussed.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. CNSF-40474058 and CNSF-40536030)
文摘A 3-dimensional resistive MHD simulation was carried out to study the effect of the upward ions on the field-aligned currents (FACs) in the near-earth magnetotail. The simulation results show that the up-flow ions originating from the nightside auroral oval would drift into the center plasma sheet along the magnetic field lines in the plasma sheet boundary, and have an important effect on the field-aligned currents. The main conclusions include that: 1) the upward-ions mainly affect the field- aligned currents in the near-earth magnetotail (inside 15 Re); 2) the generated FACs in the near-earth region have two types, i.e., Region 1 FAC in the high-latitude and Region 2 FAC in the low-latitude; 3) FACs increase with the enhancement of the upward ion flux; 4) with the same flux of the upward ions, FACs enhance with the increase of the velocity of the up-flow ions; 5) the intensification of FACs is also closely related with the latitude of the upward ions, and the ions from the closed field line region generate larger FACs; 6) the generation of FACs is closely related with By created by the upward ions.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.4127414641474137 and 41374169)the Specialized Research Fund for State Key Laboratory in China
文摘Using data from the Cluster spacecraft from January 2003 to December 2004, we perform a statistical study on some properties of the field-aligned electron(FAE) events and interplanetary magnetic field(IMF) By dependence of FAE events with different durations in high-altitude polar regions. A total of 1335 FAE events were observed by the C3 spacecraft. More down-flowing events were observed in the Southern Hemisphere, and more up-flowing events were observed in the Northern Hemisphere. It proves that down-flowing events mainly originate from magnetosphere or solar wind and up-flowing events are mainly derived from ionosphere. Short-lifetime events showed a morning concentration in the magnetic local time distribution, and long-lifetime events were concentrated both before and after noon. For the IMF By dependence of the FAE events, short-lifetime events were much affected by IMF By and resulted in a morning concentration, while the long-lifetime events were almost unaffected by IMF By. With further analysis, we determined that the short-lifetime and long-lifetime events had different sources.
基金a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of Chinathe Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘Field-aligned currents in the inner magnetosphere arc studied by using ISEE-2 magnetometer da-la, A method is proposed to calculate ×B with single-satellite data. From the morphology of ×B in time (or L). a lot of large fluctuations are found in ×B near L = 5.5RE corresponding to the field-aligned currents. Statistical study shows that the field-aligned current in the inner magnetosphere is a function of B, L, MLT and AL. The region of the projections of ×B along the magnetic field line onto the ionosphere is not symmetrical for the geomagnetic pole. The inner boundary is independent of the geomagnetic disturbance, but during substorms the outer boundary shifts equatorward. The spatial distribution of the in- and out-flowing currents is complicated. The region-1-and-2 system is hardly distinguishable.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42250101)the Macao Foundation. The computation made use of the high-performance computing resources at the center of the MSS data processing and analysis。
文摘Accurate modeling of Earth's ionospheric F-region currents is essential for refining geomagnetic field models and understanding magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.In this study,we develop averaged models to characterize F-region currents using magnetic data from the MSS-1(Macao Science Satellite-1) and Swarm satellite missions.Our approach employs a toroidal field representation,utilizing spherical harmonics to capture spatial variations and Fourier series to represent temporal dynamics.Two models,Model-A and Model-B,derived from distinct datasets,are constructed to represent current patterns at altitudes of 450 km and 512 km,respectively.Our models successfully capture the primary spatial structures and seasonal variations of polar field-aligned currents.Additionally,they accurately reproduce the localized inter-hemispheric field-aligned currents observed in mid and low latitudes during solstices,particularly between 14:00 and 16:00 magnetic local times.These findings enhance our understanding of ionospheric F-region currents and contribute to more precise geomagnetic field modeling.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(41874190,41231066)
文摘A long-standing mystery in the study of Field-Aligned Currents(FACs) has been that: how the currents are generated and why they appear to be much stronger at high altitudes than in the ionosphere. Here we present two events of magnetotail FACs observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale Spacecraft(MMS) on 1 st July and 14 th July 2016, to show how the Substorm Current Wedges(SCW) were formed. The results show that particles were transferred heading towards the Earth during the expansion phase of substorms.The azimuthal flow formed clockwise(counter-clockwise) vortex-like motion, and then generated downward(upward) FACs on the tailward/poleward side of the distorted field with opposite vorticity on their Earthward/equatorward side. We also analyzed the Region 1 FACs observed by the Earth Explorer Swarm spacecraft on 1 st July 2016 and found that they were associated with FACs observed by MMS, although differing by a factor of 10. This difference suggests that either there was the closure of the currents at altitudes above 500 km or the currents were not strictly parallel to B and closed at longitudes away from where they were generated.
基金supported by the NSFC (Grant nos. 41431072, 41674169, 41474146, and 41831072)the International Collaboration Supporting Project by the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (Grant no. IC201608)+1 种基金the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant no. 2018YFC1407304)the Chinese Meridian Project
文摘Interplanetary shocks or solar wind pressure pulses have prompted impacts on Earth's magnetospheric and ionospheric environment, especially in causing dynamic changes to the bright aurora in the polar ionosphere. The auroral phenomenon associated with shock impingements, referred to as shock aurora, exhibits distinct signatures differing from other geophysical features on the dayside polar ionosphere. Shock aurora provides a direct manifestation of the solar wind–magnetosphere–ionosphere interaction. Imagers onboard satellites can obtain the associated large-scale auroral characteristics during shock impingement on the magnetopause. Therefore, auroral data from satellites are very useful for surveying the comprehensive features of shock aurora and their general evolution. Nonetheless, the ground-based high temporal-spatial resolution all-sky imagers installed at scientific stations play an essential role in revealing medium-and small-scale characteristics of shock aurora. Here, we focus on shock aurora imaging signatures measured by imagers onboard satellites and ground-based all-sky imagers.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 41774168 and 41421003)
文摘In Earth's high-latitude ionosphere, the poleward motion of east–west elongated auroral arcs has been attributed to standing hydromagnetic waves, especially when the auroral arcs appear quasi-periodically with a recurrence time of a few minutes. The validation of this scenario requires spacecraft observations of ultra-low-frequency hydromagnetic waves in the magnetosphere and simultaneous observations of poleward-moving auroral arcs near the spacecraft footprints. Here we present the first observational evidence from the multi-spacecraft THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) mission and the conjugated all-sky imager to support the scenario that standing hydromagnetic waves can generate the quasi-periodic appearance of poleward-moving auroral arcs. In this specific event, the observed waves were toroidal branches of the standing hydromagnetic waves, which were excited by a pulse in the solar wind dynamic pressure. Multi-spacecraft measurements from THEMIS also suggest higher wave frequencies at lower L shells (consistent with the distribution of magnetic field line eigenfrequencies), which indicates that the phase difference across latitudes would increase with time. As time proceeds, the enlarged phase difference corresponds to a lower propagation speed of the auroral arcs, which agrees very well with the ground-based optical data.
基金supported by the Innovation Foundation of the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (No. KJ1602004)
文摘In this study, we present a simulation study of artificial field-aligned irregularities(AFAI) to calculate the scattering coefficient considering a Gaussian autocorrelation function for the wave number spectrum of the density fluctuation. By analyzing variations in the scattering coefficient under different ionospheric backgrounds, the optimal range of the heating frequency was found,which is about 0.9–1 times the critical frequency of the F2 layer. This is especially noticeable as when the heating frequency varies from 0.5 times to 0.9 times of the critical frequency, the scattering coefficient increases by 6.8–16.2 d B. These results should be useful for optimizing the heating frequency in the future artificial field-aligned scattering(AFAS) transmission applications at middle and low latitudes.
文摘Solar coronal loops are frequently accompanied by the field-aligned currents, which drive instabilities if the drift velocity u0 > v A the Alfv′en velocity. For our choice of parameters, the critical threshold value of u0/v A is ～ 3.0 for growth and the corresponding current filling factor ～ 10-3-10-4. Below this value we are no longer in the kinetic regime.The coronal loops also have short-scale density gradients within each loop. The electron resonance in the presence of density gradient causes the drift mode to grow. We study the effect of these two free energy sources, the electron drift and the density gradient, in the presence of temperature anisotropy T⊥_α > T∥_α. These effects simultaneously exist in the coronae. Using gyrokinetic theory, we investigate the influence of these effects, examine how they interplay with each other and study the consequent growth of the magnetosonic wave. We observe that kinetic instability driven by density gradient can be suppressed by field-aligned currents. The temperature anisotropy with chosen signatures causes further stabilizing effect. The results may prove useful to study the heating mechanism of solar coronal loops, acceleration of particles and confinement of particles in the thermonuclear reactors.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40804031, 41074114, 40921063)the Specialized Research Fund for State Key Laboratories
文摘We have studied 172 field-aligned currents （FACs） cases observed by the ClusterlI satellites when they crossed the plasma sheet boundary layer （PSBL） in the magnetotail from July to October 2001. We mainly analyzed the relationship between the characteristic of FACs at the PSBL in magnetotail and the Kp index. The main results indicated the followings： 1） In the different geomagnetic activity levels, the relative occurrence of FACs in PSBL increased monotonically with geomagnetic activity. 2） The density of FACs in PSBL increased monotonically with Kp index. In the storm main phase, the density of FACs increased dramatically, the maximum FACs approximately equaled 19.05 nA m-2 while Kp equaled 5.3） The variation of FACs density in PSBL was consistent with the variation of the Kp index. However, when AE〈800 nT, FACs density in PSBL increased with increasing AE, and when AE〉800 nT, it decreased with increasing AE. Therefore, our results suggested that the FACs density in PSBL had a closer correlation with Kp index.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41374163,41374164,41174136,41204113,41127003,and 41321003)Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant Nos.KZCX2-YW-Y10,KZZD-EW-01-3)the National Important Basic Research Project of China(Grant No.2011CB811405)
文摘Interferometry plays an important role in revealing fine-scale structures of ionospheric irregularity.By placing an additional receiving array of four 5-element Yagi antennas in the north of the main East-West array of the Sanya VHF radar,multiple interferometry baselines with components parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic meridian are formed.These baselines allow us to study the three-dimensional(3D)behavior of low-latitude ionospheric field-aligned irregularity(FAI)over Sanya.Using multiple non-collinear receiving baselines,an experiment for which the Sanya VHF radar operated as an interferometer was performed on 10 July 2013.Ionospheric E-region FAI echoes with periods of several minutes were observed during 0745-0915 UT;mean Doppler velocity was around -30 m/s with spectral widths of about 50 m/s.The interferometry results show fine-scale structures of E-region FAI with a zonal scale size of 15 km or less.In addition,we found that the periodic variations of echo intensity shown in radar range-time-intensity(RTI)maps were produced by spatially separated E-region irregularity patches.The patches drifted westward with a velocity of about 40-60 m/s and could be associated with propagating gravity waves.These results provide a clearer picture of the characteristics of FAI and thus help to investigate the generation and dynamics of low-latitude ionospheric irregularities in the Chinese sector.
基金This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S.Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344。
文摘The boundary plasma turbulence code BOUT models tokamak boundaryplasma turbulence in a realistic divertor geometry usingmodified Braginskii equations for plasma vorticity,density(ni),electron and ion temperature(Te,Ti)and parallelmomenta.The BOUT code solves for the plasma fluid equations in a three dimensional(3D)toroidal segment(or a toroidal wedge),including the region somewhat inside the separatrix and extending into the scrape-off layer;the private flux region is also included.In this paper,a description is given of the sophisticated physical models,innovative numerical algorithms,and modern software design used to simulate edgeplasmas in magnetic fusion energy devices.The BOUT code’s unique capabilities and functionality are exemplified via simulations of the impact of plasma density on tokamak edge turbulence and blob dynamics.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49734140) the National Foundation Research Fund (No G2000078406).
文摘The ionospheric equivalent currents in the high latitudes and the auroral electrojet sys- tem during the geomagnetic storm on July 15-16, 2000 are analyzed by using geomagnetic data from IMAGE chain. The large-scale vortices of equivalent currents are observed in the storm. The vortices on the dusk side of ionosphere correspond to four-celled pattern of plasma convection associated with NBZ, region I and region II field-aligned currents. Only one vortex can be found on the dawn side of ionosphere after interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) turns southward. In the initial phase of the storm, the center of eastward electrojets tends to shift equatorward. It arrives at 58.62 latitude of corrected geomagnetic coordinates (CGM). The westward electrojets are strong in the main phase. The center of westward electrojets in this period moves equatorward and may be beyond the southernmost station (56.45°) of the chain.
