The Polar Cap (PC) indices: Relations to solar wind parameters and global magnetic activity

Abstract

The polar geomagnetic activity resulting from solar wind–magnetosphere interactions can be characterized the Polar Cap (PC) indices, PCN and PCS. PC index values are derived from polar magnetic variations calibrated on a statistical basis such that the index approximate values in units of mV/m of the interplanetary “geo-effective” (or “merging”) electric field ( E M) conveyed by the solar wind. The timing and amplitude relations of the PC index to solar wind plasma and magnetic field parameters are reported. The solar wind effects are parameterized in terms of the geo-effective electric field ( E M) and the dynamical pressure ( P DYN). The PC index has a delayed and damped response to E M variations and display saturation-like effects for E M values exceeding 10 mV/m. Steady or slowly varying levels of solar wind dynamical pressure have little or no impact on the PC index above the effects related to E M for which the solar wind velocity is also a factor. Sharp increases in the dynamical pressure generate impulsive variations in the PC index comprising a initial negative impulse of 5–10 min duration followed by a positive impulse lasting 10–20 min. Typical amplitudes of both the negative and the positive impulses are 0.2–0.5 units. A sharp decrease in the pressure produces the inverse sequence of pulses in the PC index. Auroral substorm activity represented by the AL index level has a marked influence on the average PC/ E M level at the transition from very quiet (AL∼ 0 nT) to disturbed conditions while more or less disturbed conditions (AL< −100 nT) have no systematic effect on the average PC/ E M values. At distinct substorm events the PC/ E M ratio has a minimum (∼0.8) in the pre-onset phase at around 20 min before substorm onset. The average ratio gradually increases in the expansion phase to reach a maximum value (∼1.1) at around 40 min after substorm onset (or ∼20 min after the largest (negative) peak in AL). At substorm recovery during the next ∼2 h the PC/ E M ratio decreases. Finally, we report on the application of polar magnetic variations to model the disturbance storm time (Dst) index development during magnetic storms by using the PC index as a source function to quantify the energy input to the ring current representing accumulated storm energy and characterized by the Dst index.