PC index as a proxy of the solar wind energy that entered into the magnetosphere: Development of magnetic substorms

Abstract

AbstractThe Polar Cap (PC) index has been approved by the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA XXII Assembly, Merida, Меxico, 2013) as a new index of magnetic activity. The PC index can be considered to be a proxy of the solar wind energy that enters the magnetosphere. This distinguishes PC from AL and Dst indices that are more related to the dissipation of energy through auroral currents or storage of energy in the ring current during magnetic substorms or storms. The association of the PC index with the direct coupling of the solar wind energy into the magnetosphere is based upon analysis of the relationship of PC with parameters in the solar wind, on the one hand, and correlation between the time series of PC and the AL index (substorm development), on the other hand. This paper (the first of a series) provides the results of statistical investigations that demonstrate a strong correlation between the behavior of PC and the development of magnetic substorms. Substorms are classified as isolated and expanded. We found that (1) substorms are preceded by growth in the РС index, (2) sudden substorm expansion onsets are related to “leap” or “reverse” signatures in the PC index which are indicative of a sharp increase in the PC growth rate, (3) substorms start to develop when PC exceeds a threshold level 1.5 ± 0.5 mV/m irrespective of the length of the substorm growth phase, and (4) there is a linear relation between the intensity of substorms and PC for all substorm events.