Abstract
We show evidence to suggest that some auroral forms may be related to the field‐aligned current structure associated with magnetohydrodynamic wave activity, specifically field line resonances. These auroras appear as a series of azimuthally spaced east‐west elongated arcs, inclined slightly from north to south. Modeling shows that this “braided” appearance reflects the locations of upward field‐aligned current driven by the wave. Moreover, more complicated auroral structures can be produced if several harmonically related waves occur together. We model a situation in which two harmonic components are present at the latitude of resonance and demonstrate the striking similarity between the resulting field‐aligned current structures and actual auroral observations.
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