Abstract
Abstract. We present a new type of hybrid simulation model, intended to simulate a single stable auroral arc in the latitude/altitude plane. The ionospheric ions are treated as particles, the electrons are assumed to follow a Boltzmann response and the magnetospheric ions are assumed to be so hot that they form a background population unaffected by the electric fields that arise. The system is driven by assumed parallel electron energisation causing a primary negative charge cloud and an associated potential structure to build up. The results show how a closed potential structure and density depletion of an auroral arc build up and how they decay after the driver is turned off. The model also produces upgoing energetic ion beams and predicts strong static perpendicular electric fields to be found in a relatively narrow altitude range (~ 5000–11 000 km).Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions; auroral phenomena) – Space plasma physics (numerical simulation studies)
Highlights
Dynamic interactions and energy flow between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere are associated with auroral emissions, which can be either diffuse or discrete
It is known that auroral arcs are elongated, narrow forms that are associated with inverted-V type electron precipitation (Evans, 1974; Lin and Hoffman, 1979)
Janhunen of the electron energy on latitude but, nowadays is usually used to describe any electron energy spectrum having a distinctive monoenergetic peak; the latitudinal dependence does not need to resemble that of an inverted V letter (Newell, 2000)
Summary
Dynamic interactions and energy flow between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere are associated with auroral emissions, which can be either diffuse or discrete. In this paper we present a new type of two-dimensional electrostatic hybrid simulation model in which both ionospheric and magnetospheric electrons are assumed to follow a Boltzmann response, ionospheric ions are treated explicitly as particles and magnetospheric ions are, for simplicity, assumed to be so hot that they are unaffected by the potential structure and form a uniform background. This type of simulation is able to describe the formation of parallel electric fields, auroral density depletion and upflowing ion beams self-consistently in a two-dimensional setting. At the end there is a discussion and summary section
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