Convection Electric Field Research Articles

The interconnection between cross‒polar cap convection and the luminosity of polar cap patches

The transport of patches of ionization across the polar cap is carried by the convection electric field, which imposes an E×B drift to the plasma. This drift has an upward component when the plasma is convected toward the north magnetic pole and a downward component as it moves away from the pole. The vertical motion modulates the rate at which recombination operates, which in turn is directly related to the luminosity of the patches. We show here that if a rapid increase in the electric field produces a downward velocity in excess of 10 m/s, the luminosity of the patches will at first increase before undergoing a marked decrease, in association with an increase in the recombination rates. Both the change in luminosity and the time scale for the temporary increase primarily depend on the vertical velocity, that is, on the strength of the convection electric field and on the magnetic latitude. Increases in luminosity by up to a factor of 2 or more are possible. The time scales for the variations are of the order of 10 to 20 min. We present an example of an actual luminosity modulation obtained over Resolute Bay, Canada, that agrees well with the proposed theory.

Asymmetries of the magnetic field line draping shape around Venus

The magnetic field data observed by Venus Express (VEX) from April 2006 to December 2009 are analyzed in order to describe the magnetic configuration around Venus. All the magnetic observations are organized in a coordinate system which is determined by the solar wind (SW) flow and the interplanetary magnetic field. By averaging and compiling the VEX data, we compile a global picture of the magnetic field for the SW interaction with Venus. The magnetic field around the planet displays a clear asymmetry on both field strength and pattern. The magnetic field is stronger on the +E hemisphere where the convective electric field points away from the planet, and is wrapped around the planet more tightly on the −E hemisphere where points toward the planet. The underlying physics of this asymmetry is still under debate. Except in ideal single‐fluid MHD simulation, the asymmetry can be observed in both multifluid MHD and hybrid simulations.

Simulated ion velocity distribution and its incoherent scattering spectrum in the high-latitude ionosphere

If the relatively larger convection electric field and small the collision frequency between ions and neutrals in the high-latitude ionosphere are considered, the integral solution of the non-Maxwellian ion velocity distribution function for the relaxation collision model is simplified, and a torus distribution function of the ion velocity is obtained. Also, the feature of the torus velocity distribution function is analyzed and simulated with different parameters in high-latitude ionosphere. Furthermore, by using the electromagnetic radiation theory of Sheffield and taking into account the ion temperature anisotropy and its variation with the electric field, we simulate the incoherent scattering spectrum of ions in different directions. The research shows that the ionospheric convection electric field, the ion-neutral collision frequency and the ion anisotropic temperature distribution all have an effect on the incoherent scattering spectrum.

Implications of a heuristic model of auroral Farley Buneman waves and heating

The global implications, particularly with respect to altitude dependence, of the heuristic model of Farley Buneman waves put forward initially by Milikh and Dimant (2002) are studied. This model prescribes a relationship between the background convection electric field that excites the waves and the transverse electric fields of the waves that grow in response. It also prescribes the magnetic aspect angle of the waves, which is related to their ability to heat the auroral E region. The prescription is based on the condition of marginal stability. We reformulate the basic model, which is local, and embed it in the SAMI2 ionospheric model, which includes wave and Joule heating, heat transport, cooling, temperature‐dependent collisions, and related chemistry. Within the limits of its underlying assumptions, the combined model can be used to predict the phase‐speeds and magnetic‐aspect widths of Farley Buneman waves in the auroral zone and the heating they can cause, all as functions of altitude. Model predictions are compared with experimental results, and the efficacy of the model assessed. This modeling exercise highlights the importance of the thickness of the layer in which Farley Buneman waves exist, the strong variations in wave characteristics across the layer, and the consequences this has for coherent scatter radar measurements of the phenomenon.

Stability of Alfvén eigenmodes in the vicinity of auroral arc

[1] The purpose of this study is to give a theoretical suggestion to the essential question why east-west elongated auroral arc can keep its anisotropic structure for a long time. It could be related to the stability of east-westward traveling modes in the vicinity of arc, which may develop into wavy or spiral structures, whereas north-southward modes are related to splitting of arcs. Taking into account the arc-inducing field-aligned current and magnetic shears, we examine changes in the stability of Alfven eigenmodes that are coupled to perpendicular modes in the presence of convection electric field. It is demonstrated that the poleward current shear suppresses growth of the westward mode in case of the westward convection electric field. Only the poleward mode is still unstable because of the properties of feedback shear waves. It is suggested that this tends to promote (poleward) arc splitting as often observed during quiet times. We further draw a diagram of the westward mode growth rate as a function of convection electric field and current shear, evaluating critical fields for instabilities of lower Alfven harmonics. It is discovered that a switching phenomenon of fast-growing mode from fundamental to the first harmonic occurs for a high electric field regime. Our stability criterion is applied to some observed situations of auroral arc current system during pre-breakup active times.

Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar observations of anomalous electron heating in the E region

Abstract. A comprehensive 2-year dataset collected with the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) located near Fairbanks, Alaska (MLAT = 65.4° N) is employed to identify and analyse 22 events of anomalous electron heating (AEH) in the auroral E region. The overall AEH occurrence probability is conservatively estimated to be 0.3% from nearly-continuous observations of the E region by PFISR, although it increases to 0.7–0.9% in the dawn and dusk sectors where all AEH events were observed. The AEH occurrence variation with MLT is broadly consistent with those of events with high convection velocity (>1000 m s−1) or electron temperature (> 800 K), except for much smaller AEH probability and absence of AEH events near magnetic midnight. This suggests that high convection electric field by itself is necessary but not sufficient for measurable electron heating by two-stream plasma waves. The multi-point observations are utilised to investigate the fundamental dependence of the electron temperature on the convection electric field, focusing on the previously-proposed saturation effects at extreme electric fields. The AEH dataset was found to exhibit considerable scatter and, on average, similar rate of the electron temperature increase with the electric field up to 100 mV m−1 as compared with previous studies. At higher (highest) electric fields, the electron temperatures are below the linear trend on average (within uncertainty). By employing a simple fluid model of AEH, it is demonstrated that some of this deviation from the linear trend may be due to a stronger vibrational cooling at very large temperatures and electric fields.

Hot flow anomaly formation and evolution: Cluster observations

In this study, we have examined the formation and evolution of 513 hot flow anomalies (HFAs) from 2003 to 2009 observed by the Cluster spacecraft. Our results show that an original upstream discontinuity in the vicinity of an HFAs and/or at least one side of the HFA with the convective electric field pointing toward the discontinuity may help an HFA growing, but it is not a necessary condition to generate an HFA. It is shown that a significant part of the thermal energy inside HFAs is converted from the kinetic energy of the solar wind, although additional heating process(es) is required to heat the plasma inside an HFA. In order to learn the evolution of an HFA, we have examined the electron spectrum and ion velocity distribution function (VDF) inside young and mature HFAs. It is found that the particle spectra are good indicators of a young or mature HFA. Inside young HFAs, electron spectra can be fitted by a single drift‐κ distribution, while inside mature HFAs it can be fitted by the combination of a drift‐Maxwellian distribution with the peak energy below ∼10 eV and a heated electron distribution. On the other hand, ion VDF inside mature HFAs shows a single distribution, whereas the VDF inside young HFAs shows two clear ion populations—one original solar wind and a reflected ion population. It is found that the reflected ion population inside young HFAs can be scattered to more than 180° in the Vpara‐Vperp1 plane, where Vperp1 is in the V‐B plane but perpendicular to B, which is similar to the foreshock distribution. This indicates that the reflected ion population could be diffusive from all directions rather than the unidirectional beam when an HFA is forming.

Hemispheric asymmetries of the Venus plasma environment

We study the Venus‐solar wind interaction and the hemispheric asymmetries of the Venus plasma environment in the global HYB‐Venus hybrid simulation. We concentrate especially on the role of the flow‐aligned interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) component (i.e., the Parker spiral angle or the IMF cone angle) and analyze the dawn‐dusk and Esw asymmetries between four magnetic quadrants around Venus. Using the simulation model, we study two upstream condition cases in detail: the perpendicular IMF to the solar wind flow case and the nominal Parker spiral case (dominant flow‐aligned IMF component). Several differences and similarities were found in these two simulation runs. Common features of the Venus plasma environment between the two cases include asymmetric magnetic barrier and tail lobes and asymmetric planetary ion escape in the direction of the solar wind convection electric field. Further, protons of planetary origin and of solar wind origin were found to follow similar velocity patterns in the Venus plasma wake in both cases. The differences when the IMF flow‐aligned component is dominating compared to the perpendicular IMF case, the so‐called (magnetic) dawn‐dusk asymmetries, include the parallel bow shock and the foreshock region, the asymmetric magnetic barrier, the asymmetric tail current system, and the asymmetric central tail current sheet. Further, the escaping planetary H+ and O+ ion fluxes are concentrated more on the hemisphere of the parallel bow shock. When interpreting in situ plasma and magnetic observations from Venus, the features of at least these two basic IMF configurations should be considered.

Magnetospheric convection and magnetopause shadowing effects in ULF wave‐driven energetic electron transport

Magnetospheric radiation belt electron transport in the presence of ULF waves and a convection electric field is investigated using a model that includes a nightside plasma sheet source and electron losses by magnetopause shadowing. Narrow‐band ULF waves launched from a prescribed dayside magnetopause source are shown to interact with trapped and untrapped equatorially mirroring electrons within the magnetosphere. For magnetic moments less than 8 keV/nT and a strong convection electric field (in the order of 5 mV/m), we find that a limb of untrapped plasma sheet electrons extending across the dayside magnetosphere into the afternoon sector provides a phase space density (PSD) source for injection to lower L‐shells by ULF waves, causing a rapid enhancement in PSD. However, the same ULF wave activity gives rise to a rapid dropout in PSD for electrons with a higher magnetic moment or in the presence of a weaker convection electric field, since in this case the plasma sheet electrons escape through the magnetopause before they reach the afternoon sector. In their place, a lack of PSD, or PSD “holes” can be periodically injected from the magnetopause to lower L‐shells by ULF waves, leading to the rapid depletion in average PSD. In each case, the magnitude and extent in L‐shell of the PSD enhancement or depletion is strongly dependent on the amplitude of ULF waves in the afternoon sector, and is significantly augmented by the overlap of drift‐resonant islands and an associated stochastic transport layer.

Axis and velocity determination for quasi two‐dimensional plasma/field structures from Faraday's law: A second look

[1] We re-examine the basic premises of a single-spacecraft data analysis method, developed by Sonnerup and Hasegawa (2005), for determining the axis orientation and proper frame velocity of quasi two-dimensional, quasi-steady structures of magnetic field and plasma. The method, which is based on Faraday's law, makes use of magnetic and electric field data measured by a single spacecraft traversing the structure, although in many circumstances the convection electric field, − v × B, can serve as a proxy for E. It has been used with success for flux ropes observed at the magnetopause but has usually failed to provide acceptable results when applied to real space data from reconnection events as well as to virtual data from numerical MHD simulations of such events. In the present paper, the reasons for these shortcomings are identified, analyzed, and discussed in detail. Certain basic properties of the method are presented in the form of five theorems, the last of which makes use of singular value decomposition to treat the special case where the magnetic variance matrix is non-invertible. These theorems are illustrated using data from analytical models of flux ropes and also from MHD simulations as well as a 2-D kinetic simulation of reconnection. The results make clear that the method requires the presence of a significant, non-removable electric field distribution in the plane transverse to the invariant direction and that it is sensitive to deviations from strict two-dimensionality and strict time stationarity.

Model‐based constraints on the lunar exosphere derived from ARTEMIS pickup ion observations in the terrestrial magnetotail

We use Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS) measurements of lunar exospheric pickup ions in the terrestrial magnetotail lobes combined with a particle‐tracing model to constrain the source species and distributions of the lunar neutral exosphere. These pickup ions, generated by photoionization of neutral species while the Moon is in the magnetotail lobes, undergo acceleration from both the magnetotail convection electric field and the lunar surface photoelectric field, giving rise to distinct pickup ion flux, pitch angle, and energy distributions. By simulating the behavior of lunar pickup ions in the magnetotail lobes and the response of the twin ARTEMIS probes under various ambient conditions, we can constrain several physical quantities associated with these observations, including the source ion production rate and the magnetotail convection velocity (and hence, electric field). Using the model‐derived source ion production rate and established photoionization rates, we present upper limits on the density of several species potentially in the lunar exosphere. In certain cases, these limits are lower than those previously reported. We also present evidence that the lunar exosphere is displaced toward the lunar dawnside while in the terrestrial magnetotail based on fits to the observed pickup ion distributions.

A statistical study of proton precipitation onto the Martian upper atmosphere: Mars Express observations

Due to the small size of the Martian magnetic pile‐up region, especially at the subsolar point, heated protons with high enough energy can penetrate the induced magnetosphere boundary without being backscattered, i.e., they precipitate. We present a statistical study of the downgoing ~ keV proton fluxes measured in the Martian ionosphere by the Analyzer of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms experiment onboard the Mars Express spacecraft. We find that on the dayside, the events of proton penetration occur during 3% of the observation time; the precipitation is an intermittent phenomenon. The proton events carry on average ~0.2% of the incident solar wind flux. Therefore, the induced magnetosphere is an effective shield against the magnetosheath protons. The events are more frequent during fast solar wind conditions than during slow solar wind conditions. The sporadic proton penetration is thought to be caused by transient increases in the magnetosheath temperature. The precipitating flux is higher on the dayside than on the nightside, and its spatial deposition is controlled by the solar wind convective electric field. The largest crustal magnetic anomalies tend to decrease the proton precipitation in the southern hemisphere. The particle and energy fluxes vary in the range 104–106 cm–2 s–1 and 107–109 eVcm–2 s–1, respectively. The corresponding heating for the dayside atmosphere is on average negligible compared to the solar extreme ultraviolet heating, although the intermittent penetration may cause local ionization. The net precipitating proton particle flux input to the dayside ionosphere is estimated as 1.2 · 1021 s–1.

Dawn–dusk asymmetry in the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability at Mercury

The NASA MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft entered orbital phase around Mercury on 18 March 2011. A surprising consistent feature in the data returned is large-scale vortices that form exclusively on the dusk side of the magnetosphere. Here we present global kinetic hybrid simulations that explain these observations. It is shown that vortices are excited by a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability near the subsolar point, which grows convectively along the dusk-side magnetopause. Virtual time series along a track approximating a flyby of the MESSENGER show correspondence with the satellite data; the data contain sawtooth oscillations in plasma density, flow and magnetic field, and exhibit the observed dawn-dusk asymmetry. It is shown that asymmetry between dawn and dusk at Mercury is controlled by the finite gyroradius of ions and by convection electric fields. Mercury's magnetosphere offers a natural laboratory for studying plasma regimes not present in other planetary magnetospheres or the laboratory.

Direct observations of the role of convection electric field in the formation of a polar tongue of ionization from storm enhanced density

AbstractWe examine the relationship of convection electric fields to the formation of a polar cap tongue of ionization (TOI) from midlatitude plumes of storm enhanced density (SED). Observations from the geomagnetic storm on 26–27 September 2011 are presented for two distinct SED events. During an hour‐long period of geomagnetic activity driven by a coronal mass ejection, a channel of high‐density F region plasma was transported from the dayside subauroral ionosphere and into the polar cap by enhanced convection electric fields extending to middle latitudes. This TOI feature was associated with enhanced HF backscatter, indicating that it was the seat of active formation of small‐scale irregularities. After the solar wind interplanetary magnetic field conditions quieted and the dayside convection electric fields retreated to higher latitudes, an SED plume was observed extending to, but not entering, the dayside cusp region. This prominent feature in the distribution of total electron content (TEC) persisted for several hours and elongated in magnetic local time with the rotation of the Earth. No ionospheric scatter from SuperDARN radars was observed within this SED region. The source mechanism (enhanced electric fields) previously drawing the plasma from midlatitudes and into the polar cap as a TOI was no longer active, resulting in a fossil feature. We thus demonstrate the controlling role exercised by the convection electric field in generating a TOI from midlatitude SED.

Transport of the plasma sheet electrons to the geostationary distances

AbstractThe transport and acceleration of low‐energy electrons (50–250 keV) from the plasma sheet to the geostationary orbit were investigated. Two moderate storm events, which occurred on 6–7 November 1997 and 12–14 June 2005, were modeled using the Inner Magnetosphere Particle Transport and Acceleration model (IMPTAM) with the boundary set at 10 RE in the plasma sheet. The output of the IMPTAM was compared to the observed electron fluxes in four energy ranges (50–225 keV) measured by the Synchronous Orbit Particle Analyzer instrument onboard the Los Alamos National Laboratory spacecraft. It was found that the large‐scale convection in combination with substorm‐associated impulsive fields is the drivers of the transport of plasma sheet electrons from 10 RE to geostationary orbit at 6.6 RE during storm times. The addition of radial diffusion had no significant influence on the modeled electron fluxes. At the same time, the modeled electron fluxes are one (two) order(s) smaller than the observed ones for 50–150 keV (150–225 keV) electrons, respectively, most likely due to inaccuracy of electron boundary conditions. The loss processes due to wave‐particle interactions were not considered. The choice of the large‐scale convection electric field model used in simulations did not have a significant influence on the modeled electron fluxes, since there is not much difference between the equipotential contours given by the Volland‐Stern and the Boyle et al. (1997) models at distances from 10 to 6.6 RE in the plasma sheet. Using the TS05 model for the background magnetic field instead of the T96 model resulted in larger deviations of the modeled electron fluxes from the observed ones due to specific features of the TS05 model. The increase in the modeled electron fluxes can be as large as two orders of magnitude when substorm‐associated electromagnetic fields were taken into account. The obtained model distribution of low‐energy electron fluxes can be used as an input to the radiation belt models. This seed population for radiation belts will affect the local acceleration up to relativistic energies.

Effect of an MLT dependent electron loss rate on the magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling

As plasma sheet electrons drift earthward, they get scattered into the loss cone due to wave‐particle interactions and the resulting precipitation produces auroral conductance. Realistic electron loss is thus important for modeling the magnetosphere ‐ ionosphere (M‐I) coupling and the degree of plasma sheet electron penetration into the inner magnetosphere. In order to evaluate the significance of electron loss, we used the Rice Convection Model (RCM) coupled with a force‐balanced magnetic field to simulate plasma sheet transport under different electron loss rates and under self‐consistent electric and magnetic field. We used different magnitudes of i) strong pitch angle diffusion everywhere electron loss rate (strong rate) and ii) a more realistic loss rate with its MLT dependence determined by wave activity (MLT rate). We found that electron pressure under the MLT rate is larger compared to the strong rate inside L ∼ 12 RE. The dawn‐dusk asymmetry in the precipitating electron energy flux under the MLT rate, with much higher energy flux at dawn than at dusk, agrees better with statistical DMSP observations. High‐energy electrons inside L ∼ 8 RE can remain there for many hours under the MLT rate, while those under the strong rate get lost within minutes. Under the MLT rate, the remaining electrons cause higher conductance at lower latitudes; thus after a convection enhancement, the shielding of the convection electric field is less efficient, and as a result, the ion plasma sheet penetrates further earthward into the inner magnetosphere than under the strong rate.

Proton cyclotron waves upstream from Mars: Observations from Mars Global Surveyor

We present a study on the properties of electromagnetic plasma waves in the region upstream of the Martian bow shock, detected by the magnetometer and electron reflectometer (MAG / ER) onboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft during the period known as Science Phasing Orbits (SPO). The frequency of these waves, measured in the MGS reference frame (SC), is close to the local proton cyclotron frequency. Minimum variance analysis (MVA) shows that these ‘proton cyclotron frequency’ waves (PCWs) are characterized – in the SC frame – by a left-hand, elliptical polarization and propagate almost parallel to the background magnetic field. They also have a small degree of compressibility and an amplitude that decreases with the increase of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) cone angle and radial distance from the planet. The latter result supports the idea that the source of these waves is Mars. In addition, we find that these waves are not associated with the foreshock and their properties (ellipticity, degree of polarization, direction of propagation) do not depend on the IMF cone angle. Empirical evidence and theoretical approaches suggest that most of these observations correspond to the ion–ion right hand (RH) mode originating from the pick-up of ionized exospheric hydrogen. The left-hand (LH) mode might be present in cases where the IMF is almost perpendicular to the Solar Wind direction. PCWs occur in 62% of the time during SPO1 subphase, whereas occurrence drops to 8% during SPO2. Also, SPO1 PCWs preserve their characteristics for longer time periods and have greater degree of polarization and coherence than those in SPO2. We discuss these results in the context of possible changes in the pick-up conditions from SPO1 to SPO2, or steady, spatial inhomogeneities in the wave distribution. The lack of influence from the Solar Wind's convective electric field upon the location of PCWs indicates that, as suggested by recent theoretical results, there is no clear relation between the spatial distribution of PCWs and that of pick-up ions.

Comparing VHF coherent scatter from the radar aurora with incoherent scatter and all‐sky auroral imagery

VHF coherent scatter radar observations of an auroral substorm over Alaska are analyzed in the context of multibeam incoherent scatter plasma density and drifts data and green‐line all‐sky optical imagery. Coherent scatter arises from Farley Buneman waves which are excited in theEregion whenever the convection electric field is greater than about 20 mV/m. Aperture synthesis radar imaging and other aspects of the methodology facilitate the precise spatial registration of the coherent scatter with coincident optical and incoherent scatter radar measurements. Discrete auroral arcs were found to separate diffuse regions of coherent backscatter and, sometimes, to align with the boundaries of those regions. At other times, auroral arcs and torches lined up adjacent to discrete, structured regions or radar backscatter. Drastic variations in the Doppler shifts of the coherent scatter from one side of the auroral forms to the other suggest the presence of field‐aligned currents. An empirical formula based on previous studies but adapted to account approximately for the effects of wave turning was used to estimate the convection electric field from the moments of the coherent scatter Doppler spectra. Line‐of‐sightF region plasma drift measurements from the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) were found to be in reasonable agreement with these convection field estimates. Reasons why the empirical formulas may be expected to hold are discussed.

Solar wind density controlling penetration electric field at the equatorial ionosphere during a saturation of cross polar cap potential

The most important source of electrodynamic disturbances in the equatorial ionosphere during the main phase of a storm is the prompt penetration electric field (PPEF) originating from the high‐latitude region. It has been known that such an electric field is correlated with the magnetospheric convection or interplanetary electric field. Here we show a unique case, in which the electric field disturbance in the equatorial ionosphere cannot be interpreted by this concept. During the superstorm on Nov. 20–21, 2003, the cross polar cap potential (CPCP) saturated at least for 8.2 h. The CPCP reconstructed by Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE) procedure suggested that the PPEF at the equatorial ionosphere still correlated with the saturated CPCP, but the CPCP was controlled by the solar wind density instead of the interplanetary electric field. However, the predicted CPCPs by Hill‐Siscoe‐Ober (HSO) model and Boyle‐Ridley (BR) model were not fully consistent with the AMIE result and PPEF. The PPEF also decoupled from the convection electric field in the magnetotail. Due to the decoupling, the electric field in the ring current was not able to comply with the variations of PPEF, and this resulted in a long‐duration electric field penetration without shielding.

Saturn's inner magnetospheric convection pattern: Further evidence

Observations of the radial locations of satellite absorption microsignatures in energetic particle data at Saturn have suggested the existence of an average convection pattern, fixed in local time, that is superimposed on the dominant near‐corotation of the inner magnetosphere. Such a pattern should have additional observational consequences, and we use several different Cassini data sets to test these expectations. These include day/night asymmetries in the A‐ring absorption signature of high‐energy particles and total electron density, day/night asymmetries in plasma ion and electron temperatures, and day/night asymmetries in energetic‐particle phase‐space densities. For L > 4, the observations are found to be consistent with expectations based on the suggested convective drifts in a global noon‐to‐midnight electric field, such that particles drift outward on the dawn side of the magnetosphere and inward on the dusk side, resulting in drift orbits with an outward offset toward noon. The different data sets yield similar estimates of the required radial offsets, ∼0.5–1 Rs in the region inside L = 10. The corresponding convection electric field appears to decrease with increasing radial distance, from ∼0.3 mV/m near Tethys to ∼0.1 mV/m beyond Dione. The source of such an electric field remains a puzzle, but whatever the source, it appears to be a dominant factor in the circulation of plasma in Saturn's inner magnetosphere. For L < 4, the observations are not fully consistent with such a global convection field, and other explanations for A‐ring absorption asymmetries are needed.