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Parameterized Study Of The Ionospheric Modification Associated With Sun-Aligned Polar Cap Arcs, D. J. Crain, Jan Josef Sojka, Robert W. Schunk, Lie Zhu
Parameterized Study Of The Ionospheric Modification Associated With Sun-Aligned Polar Cap Arcs, D. J. Crain, Jan Josef Sojka, Robert W. Schunk, Lie Zhu
All Physics Faculty Publications
Sun-aligned (SA) arcs are a prevalent feature of the polar cap ionosphere during northward interplanetary magnetic field conditions. These arcs are, like the auroral arc, a complex electrodynamic system coupling the ionosphere and magnetosphere. The electron precipitation and convection electric field associated with this system modify the polar cap ionospheric plasma distribution. In the past decade, a wealth of observational information has indicated the complexity of these ionospheric modifications, but only a limited number of model studies have been carried out to elucidate the changes associated with SA arcs. In this investigation, an extensive parametric study has been conducted to …
A Time-Dependent Model Of Polar Cap Arcs, Lie Zhu, Jan Josef Sojka, Robert W. Schunk, D. J. Crain
A Time-Dependent Model Of Polar Cap Arcs, Lie Zhu, Jan Josef Sojka, Robert W. Schunk, D. J. Crain
All Physics Faculty Publications
A two-dimensional time-dependent model of polar cap arcs has been developed. The electrodynamics of the polar cap arcs are treated self-consistently in the frame of the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere system. The focus of this paper is to introduce the physics and mathematical formulation of the model and describe the features of the spatial structure and temporal evolution of the polar cap arcs. The modeling results indicate that the time constant for the formation of the polar cap arcs is around 10 min. It is found that an initial single-arc precipitation pattern associated with a polar cap arc tends to split into …