Search

Understanding the physical processes that control the dynamics of energetic particles in the inner magnetosphere is important for both space-borne and ground-based assets essential to the modern society. The storm time distribution of ring current particles in the inner magnetosphere depends strongly on their transport in the evolving electric and magnetic fields along with particle acceleration and loss. In this study, we investigated the ring current particle variations using observations and simulations. We compared the ion (H+, He+, and O+) and electron flux and plasma pressure variations from Arase observations with the self-consistent inner magnetosphere model: Ring current Atmosphere interactions Model with Self Consistent magnetic field (RAM-SCB) during the 7–8 November 2017 geomagnetic storm. We investigated the contribution of the different species (ions and electrons) to the magnetic field deformation observed at ground magnetic stations (09°–45° MLat) using RAM-SCB simulations. The results show that the ions are the major contributor with ∼88% and electrons contribute ∼12% to the total ring current pressure. It is also found that the electron contribution is non-negligible (∼18%) to the ring current in dawn-side during the main phase of the storm. Thus, the electron contribution to the storm time ring current is important and should not be neglected.

Medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) are a phenomenon widely and frequently observed over the ionosphere from high to low latitudes. Night time MSTIDs are caused generally by the polarization electric field in the ionosphere. However, propagation of this polarization electric field to the magnetosphere has not yet been identified. Here, we report the first observation of the polarization electric field and associated density variations of a night time MSTID in the magnetosphere. The MSTID event was observed by an all-sky airglow imager at Gakona (geographical latitude: 62.39°N, geographical longitude: 214.78°E, magnetic latitude: 63.20°N), Alaska. The Arase satellite passed over the MSTID in the inner magnetosphere at 0530–0800 UT (2030–2300 LT) on November 3, 2018. This MSTID, observed in 630 nm airglow images, was propagating westward with a horizontal wavelength of ∼165 km, a north–south phase front, and a phase velocity of ∼80 m/s. The Arase satellite footprint on the ionosphere crossed the MSTID in the direction nearly perpendicular to the MSTID phase fronts. The electric field and electron density observed by the Arase satellite showed periodic variation associated with the MSTID structure with amplitudes of ∼2 mV/m and ∼150 cm−3, respectively. The electric field variations projected to the ionosphere are mainly in the east-west direction and are consistent with the direction of the polarization electric field expected from MSTID growth by E × B drift. This observation indicates that the polarization electric field associated with the MSTID in the ionosphere is projected onto the magnetosphere, causing plasma density fluctuations in the magnetosphere.

We present observations of an equatorward detachment of the auroral arc from the main oval and magnetically conjugate measurements made by the Arase satellite in the inner magnetosphere. The all-sky imager at Gakona (magnetic latitude = 63.6°N), Alaska, shows the detachment of the auroral arc in both red and green lines at local midnight (∼0130–0230 MLT) on 30 March 2017. The electron density derived from the Arase in-situ observations shows that this arc occurred outside the plasmapause. At the arc crossing, the electron flux of energies ∼0.1–2 keV is found to be locally enhanced at L∼4.3–4.5. We estimated auroral intensities for both red and green lines by using the Arase low-energy (0.1–19 keV) electron flux data. The peak latitude of the estimated intensity shows reasonably good correspondence with the observed intensity mapped at the ionospheric footprints of the Arase satellite. These findings indicate that the observed arc detachment at Gakona was associated with the localized enhancement of low-energy electrons (∼0.1–2 keV) at the inner edge of the electron plasma sheet. Further, we employ the simulation results of the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC), the BATS-R-US–CIMI 3-D MHD code to understand the conditions in the inner magnetosphere around the time of detachment. Although the simulation could not reproduce the lower-energy component responsible for the arc detachment, it successfully reproduced two earthward convection events at the lower radial distance (R) (R ≤ ∼4) around the time of arc detachment and the features of enhanced convection in similarity with the observations.

During disturbed geomagnetic conditions, the energetic particles in the inner magnetosphere are known to undergo precipitation loss due to interaction with various plasma waves. This study, investigates the energetic particle precipitation events statistically using coordinate observations from the ground riometer network and the inner-magnetospheric satellite mission, Arase. We have compared cosmic noise absorption (CNA) data obtained from the Finnish ground riometer network located in the auroral/sub-auroral latitudes with the comprehensive data set of omnidirectional electron/proton flux and plasma waves in ELF/VLF frequency range from the Arase satellite during the overpass intervals. The study period includes one and a half years of data between March 2017 and September 2018 covering Arase conjunctions with the riometer stations from all magnetic local time sectors. The relation between the plasma flux/waves observed at the satellite with the riometer absorptions are investigated statistically for CNA (absorption >0.5 dB) and non-CNA (absorption <0.5 dB) cases separately. During CNA events, Arase observed elevated electron flux in the medium energy range (2–100 keV), and plasma wave activity in the whistler-mode frequency range (0.5–3 kHz) of the spectra. Our study provides an estimate of the statistical dependence of the electron flux and plasma wave observations at Arase with the ground reality of actual precipitation.

We present the results of a multi-point and multi-instrument study of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and related energetic proton precipitation during a substorm. We analyze the data from Arase (ERG) and Van Allen Probes (VAPs) A and B spacecraft for an event of 16 and 17 UT on December 1, 2018. VAP-A detected an almost dispersionless injection of energetic protons related to the substorm onset in the night sector. Then the proton injection was detected by VAP-B and further by Arase, as a dispersive enhancement of energetic proton flux. The proton flux enhancement at every spacecraft coincided with the EMIC wave enhancement or appearance. This data show the excitation of EMIC waves first inside an expanding substorm wedge and then by a drifting cloud of injected protons. Low-orbiting NOAA/POES and MetOp satellites observed precipitation of energetic protons nearly conjugate with the EMIC wave observations in the magnetosphere. The proton pitch-angle diffusion coefficient and the strong diffusion regime index were calculated based on the observed wave, plasma, and magnetic field parameters. The diffusion coefficient reaches a maximum at energies corresponding well to the energy range of the observed proton precipitation. The diffusion coefficient values indicated the strong diffusion regime, in agreement with the equality of the trapped and precipitating proton flux at the low-Earth orbit. The growth rate calculations based on the plasma and magnetic field data from both VAP and Arase spacecraft indicated that the detected EMIC waves could be generated in the region of their observation or in its close vicinity.

Pulsating aurorae (PsA) are caused by the intermittent precipitations of magnetospheric electrons (energies of a few keV to a few tens of keV) through wave-particle interactions, thereby depositing most of their energy at altitudes ~ 100 km. However, the maximum energy of precipitated electrons and its impacts on the atmosphere are unknown. Herein, we report unique observations by the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) radar showing electron precipitations ranging from a few hundred keV to a few MeV during a PsA associated with a weak geomagnetic storm. Simultaneously, the Arase spacecraft has observed intense whistler-mode chorus waves at the conjugate location along magnetic field lines. A computer simulation based on the EISCAT observations shows immediate catalytic ozone depletion at the mesospheric altitudes. Since PsA occurs frequently, often in daily basis, and extends its impact over large MLT areas, we anticipate that the PsA possesses a significant forcing to the mesospheric ozone chemistry in high latitudes through high energy electron precipitations. Therefore, the generation of PsA results in the depletion of mesospheric ozone through high-energy electron precipitations caused by whistler-mode chorus waves, which are similar to the well-known effect due to solar energetic protons triggered by solar flares.

type:Journal Article, Molecular ions in the magnetosphere can be a tracer of fast ion outflows from the deep ionosphere. Statistical properties of molecular ions (O2+/NO+/N2+) in the ring current are investigated based on ion composition measurements (<180 keV/q) by medium‐energy particle experiments‐electron analyzer and low‐energy particle experiments‐ion mass analyzer instruments on board the Arase (Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace, ERG) satellite. The investigated period from late March to December 2017 includes 11 geomagnetic storms with the minimum Dst index less than −40 nT. The molecular ions are observed in the region of L = 2.5–6.6 and clearly identified at energies above ~12 keV during most magnetic storms. During quiet times, molecular ions are not observed. The average energy density ratio of the molecular ions to O+ is ~3%. The ratio tends to increase with the size of magnetic storms. Existence of molecular ions even during small magnetic storms suggests that the fast ion outflow from the deep ionosphere occurs frequently during geomagnetically active periods.

type:Journal Article, We examined the average meridional distribution of middle‐energy protons (10–180 keV) and pressure‐driven currents in the nightside (20–04 hr magnetic local time) ring current region during moderately disturbed times using the Arase satellite's data. Because the Arase satellite has a large inclination orbit of 31°, it covers the magnetic latitude (MLAT) in the range of −40° to 40° and a radial distance of <6RE. We found that the plasma pressure decreased significantly with increasing MLAT. The plasma pressure on the same L* shell at 30° < MLAT < 40° was ∼10–60% of that at 0° < 4 MLAT < 10°, and the rate of decrease was larger on lower L* shells. The pressure anisotropy, derived as the perpendicular pressure divided by the parallel pressure minus 1, decreased with radial distance and showed a weak dependence on MLAT. The magnitude of the plasma beta at 30°

A stable auroral red (SAR) arc is an aurora with a dominant 630 nm emission at subauroral latitudes. SAR arcs have been considered to occur due to the spatial overlap between the plasmasphere and the ring‐current ions. In the overlap region, plasmaspheric electrons are heated by ring‐current ions or plasma waves, and their energy is then transferred down to the ionosphere where it causes oxygen red emission. However, there have been no study conducted so far that quantitatively examined plasma and electromagnetic fields in the magnetosphere associated with SAR arc. In this paper, we report the first quantitative evaluation of conjugate measurements of a SAR arc observed at 2204 UT on 28 March 2017 and investigate its source region using an all‐sky imager at Nyrölä (magnetic latitude: 59.4°N), Finland, and the Arase satellite. The Arase observation shows that the SAR arc appeared in the overlap region between a plasmaspheric plume and the ring‐current ions and that electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves and kinetic Alfven waves were not observed above the SAR arc. The SAR arc was located at the ionospheric trough minimum identified from a total electron content map obtained by the GNSS receiver network. The Swarm satellite flying in the ionosphere also passed the SAR arc at ~2320 UT and observed a decrease in electron density and an increase in electron temperature during the SAR‐arc crossing. These observations suggest that the heating of plasmaspheric electrons via Coulomb collision with ring‐current ions is the most plausible mechanism for the SAR‐arc generation.