Magnetospheric Instability Research Articles

Identifying the Magnetospheric Drivers of Giant Undulations: Global Modeling of the Evolving Inner Magnetosphere and Its Auroral Manifestations

AbstractWe present the first global geospace simulation to reproduce auroral giant undulations (GUs). To identify their magnetospheric drivers, we employ the MAGE (Multiscale Atmosphere‐Geospace Environment) model in a case study of a geomagnetic storm for which there were spacecraft‐ and ground‐based observations of GUs. The model reproduces the spatial and temporal scales of the GUs as well as the presence of duskside subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) and plasmapause undulations. Based on our modeling, we are able to identify the magnetospheric drivers of GUs as mesoscale ring current injections which, after drifting westward, create inverted regions of flux‐tube entropy (FTE) and subsequent interchange instability. Outward‐protruding interchange fingers disrupt shielding of the inner magnetosphere, creating longitudinally localized ripples in magnetospheric convection equatorward of the magnetospheric instability, which structure the plasmapause and duskside diffuse precipitation. While not causal, SAPS and plasmapause undulations are a consequence of the unstable magnetospheric configuration.

On the Magnetospheric ULF Wave Counterpart of Substorm Onset

AbstractOne near‐ubiquitous signature of substorms observed on the ground is the azimuthal structuring of the onset auroral arc in the minutes prior to onset. Termed auroral beads, these optical signatures correspond to concurrent exponential increases in ground ultralow frequency (ULF) wave power and are likely the result of a plasma instability in the magnetosphere. Here, we present a case study showing the development of auroral beads from a Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) all‐sky camera with near simultaneous exponential increases in auroral brightness, ionospheric and conjugate magnetotail ULF wave power, evidencing their intrinsic link. We further present a survey of magnetic field fluctuations in the magnetotail around substorm onset. We find remarkably similar superposed epoch analyses of ULF power around substorm onset from space and conjugate ionospheric observations. Examining periods of exponential wave growth, we find the ground‐ and space‐based observations to be consistent, with average growth rates of ∼0.01 s−1, lasting for ∼4 min. Cross‐correlation suggests that the space‐based observations lead those on the ground by approximately 1–1.5 min. Meanwhile, spacecraft located premidnight and ∼10 RE downtail are more likely to observe enhanced wave power. These combined observations lead us to conclude that there is a magnetospheric counterpart of auroral beads and exponentially increasing ground ULF wave power. This is likely the result of the linear phase of a magnetospheric instability, active in the magnetotail for several minutes prior to auroral breakup.

Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients uncovered by the EXTraS project: flares reveal the development of magnetospheric instability in accreting neutron stars

ABSTRACT The low luminosity, X-ray flaring activity, of the sub-class of high-mass X-ray binaries called Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients, has been investigated using XMM–Newton public observations, taking advantage of the products made publicly available by the EXTraS project. One of the goals of EXTraS was to extract from the XMM–Newton public archive information on the aperiodic variability of all sources observed in the soft X-ray range with EPIC (0.2–12 keV). Adopting a Bayesian block decomposition of the X-ray light curves of a sample of SFXTs, we picked out 144 X-ray flares, covering a large range of soft X-ray luminosities (1032–1036 erg s−1). We measured temporal quantities, like the rise time to and the decay time from the peak of the flares, their duration and the time interval between adjacent flares. We also estimated the peak luminosity, average accretion rate, and energy release in the flares. The observed soft X-ray properties of low-luminosity flaring activity from SFXTs is in qualitative agreement with what is expected by the application of the Rayleigh–Taylor instability model in accreting plasma near the neutron star magnetosphere. In the case of rapidly rotating neutron stars, sporadic accretion from temporary discs cannot be excluded.

Analytical study of whistler mode waves in presence of parallel DC electric field for relativistic plasma in the magnetosphere of Uranus

In present paper, field aligned whistler mode waves are analyzed, in the presence of DC field in background plasma having relativistic distribution function in the magnetosphere of Uranus. The work has been examined for relativistic Maxwellian and loss-cone distribution function. In both the cases, we have studied the effect of various plasma parameters on the growth rate of waves by using the method of characteristics and discussed using data provided by Voyager 2. Growth rate has increased by increasing the magnitude of electric field, temperature anisotropy, energy density and number density of particles for Maxwellian and loss-cone background. However, when relativistic factor λ=1-v2/c2 increases, growth rate decreases. The significant increase in real frequency of whistler waves can be observed. The results can be used for comparative study of planetary magnetospheres. The derivation can also be adapted to study various other instabilities in magnetosphere of Uranus.

Statistical characterization of the growth and spatial scales of the substorm onset arc.

We present the first multievent study of the spatial and temporal structuring of the aurora to provide statistical evidence of the near‐Earth plasma instability which causes the substorm onset arc. Using data from ground‐based auroral imagers, we study repeatable signatures of along‐arc auroral beads, which are thought to represent the ionospheric projection of magnetospheric instability in the near‐Earth plasma sheet. We show that the growth and spatial scales of these wave‐like fluctuations are similar across multiple events, indicating that each sudden auroral brightening has a common explanation. We find statistically that growth rates for auroral beads peak at low wave number with the most unstable spatial scales mapping to an azimuthal wavelength λ≈ 1700–2500 km in the equatorial magnetosphere at around 9–12 R E. We compare growth rates and spatial scales with a range of theoretical predictions of magnetotail instabilities, including the Cross‐Field Current Instability and the Shear Flow Ballooning Instability. We conclude that, although the Cross‐Field Current instability can generate similar magnitude of growth rates, the range of unstable wave numbers indicates that the Shear Flow Ballooning Instability is the most likely explanation for our observations.

DYNAMICS OF STRONGLY TWISTED RELATIVISTIC MAGNETOSPHERES

Magnetar magnetospheres are believed to be strongly twisted due to shearing of the stellar crust by internal magnetic stresses. We present time-dependent axisymmetric simulations showing in detail the evolution of relativistic force-free magnetospheres subjected to slow twisting through large angles. When the twist amplitude is small, the magnetosphere moves quasi-statically through a sequence of equilibria of increasing free energy. At some twist amplitude the magnetosphere becomes tearing-mode unstable to forming a resistive current sheet, initiating large-scale magnetic reconnection in which a significant fraction of the magnetic free energy can be dissipated. This "critical" twist angle is insensitive to the resistive length scale. Rapid shearing temporarily stabilizes the magnetosphere beyond the critical angle, allowing the magnetosphere of a rapidly differentially rotating star to store and dissipate more free energy. In addition to these effects, shearing the surface of a rotating star increases the spindown torque applied to the star. If shearing is much slower than rotation, the resulting spikes in spindown rate can occur on timescales anywhere from the long twisting timescale to the stellar spin period or shorter, depending both on the stellar shear distribution and the existing distribution of magnetospheric twists. A model in which energy is stored in the magnetosphere and released by a magnetospheric instability therefore predicts large changes in the measured spindown rate before soft gamma repeater giant flares.

Dynamics of the innermost accretion flows around compact objects: magnetosphere-disc interface, global oscillations and instabilities

We study global non-axisymmetric oscillation modes and instabilities in magnetosphere- disc systems, as expected in neutron star X-ray binaries and possibly also in accreting black hole systems. Our two-dimensional magnetosphere-disc model consists of a Keplerian disc in contact with an uniformly rotating magnetosphere with low plasma density. Two types of global overstable modes exist in such systems, the interface modes and the disc inertial-acoustic modes. We examine various physical effects and parameters that influence the properties of these oscillation modes, particularly their growth rates, including the magnetosphere field configuration, the velocity and density contrasts across the magnetosphere-disc interface, the rotation profile (with Newtonian or General Relativistic potential), the sound speed and magnetic field of the disc. The interface modes are driven unstable by Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmholtz in- stabilities, but can be stabilized by the toroidal field (through magnetic tension) and disc differential rotation (through finite vorticity). General relativity increases their growth rates by modifying the disc vorticity outside the magnetosphere boundary. The interface modes may also be affected by wave absorption associated with corotation resonance in the disc. In the presence of a magnetosphere, the inertial-acoustic modes are effectively trapped at the innermost region of the relativistic disc just outside the interface. They are driven unstable by wave absorption at the corotation resonance, but can be stabilized by modest disc magnetic fields. The overstable oscillation modes studied in this paper have characteristic properties that make them possible candidates for the quasi-periodic oscillations observed in X-ray binaries.

Relation between magnetotail magnetic flux and changes in the solar wind during sawtooth events: Toward resolving the controversy of whether all substorm onsets are externally triggered

[1] It has been debated for many years whether all substorm onsets are triggered by a sudden change in the solar wind. Because there is not a generally accepted definition of external triggers, a solar wind change may be identified to be an external trigger by some investigators but not a trigger by others. In this paper, we study the substorm onset from the magnetospheric state during sawtooth events. We do not try to determine whether a solar wind change around the onset is a trigger. Instead, we examine whether an external trigger from the solar wind is always necessary for substorm onset and why large changes in the solar wind do not always trigger sawtooth (substorm) onset. We have analyzed 54 sawtooth onsets and corresponding changes in the solar wind. The mean value of the total magnetic flux in the magnetotail at the sawtooth onsets is 0.98 GWb. Sawtooth onset can occur when the changes in the solar wind are very small (0.5 nPa in the solar wind dynamic pressure and 1 nT in the IMF Bz). We have also identified a number of large changes in the solar wind without occurrence of sawtooth onset, and the mean value of the magnetotail magnetic flux is 0.74–0.79 GWb. However, the large changes in the solar wind do not cause sawtooth onset when the magnetotail magnetic flux is generally smaller than 0.8 GWb in these cases. The observations suggest that sawtooth onset will occur when the magnetotail magnetic flux is close to a critical value (∼1 GWb, depending on the solar wind and geomagnetic activity), no matter whether the corresponding change in the solar wind is large or small. The observations also suggest that no sawtooth (substorm) onset can be triggered by a solar wind change if the magnetotail magnetic flux is ∼25% lower than the critical value of the onset, no matter how large the change in the solar wind is. Sawtooth onset appears to be an internal magnetospheric instability process, and a large change in the solar wind is not necessary for the occurrence of sawtooth onset.

On the triggering of auroral substorms by northward turnings of the interplanetary magnetic field

Abstract. Some studies over the last decade have indicated that the instability responsible for substorm expansion phase onset may require an external trigger such as a northward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Statistical investigations have lead to contrasting interpretations regarding the relationship between proposed solar wind triggers and substorm onsets identified from geomagnetic data. We therefore present the results of a study into the possible triggering of 260 substorms between 2001–2005, exploiting data from the Cluster and IMAGE satellite missions. We find that only a small fraction (<25%) of the substorms studied are associated with northward turnings of the IMF. However, the majority of the observed onsets are associated with a growth phase characterised using a subset of the criteria employed to define northward-turning IMF triggers. Based upon a case-by-case investigation and the results of an analysis using the statistics of point processes, we conclude that northward-turning structures in the IMF, while sometimes coinciding with the initial phase of individual substorms, are not required to trigger the magnetospheric instability associated with substorm expansion phase onset.

A summary of observational records on periodicities above the rotational period in the Jovian magnetosphere

Abstract. The Jovian magnetosphere is a very dynamic system. The plasma mass-loading from the moon Io and the fast planetary rotation lead to regular release of mass from the Jovian magnetosphere and to a change of the magnetic topology. These regular variations, most commonly on several (2.5–4) days scale, were derived from various data sets obtained by different spacecraft missions and instruments ranging from auroral images to in situ measurements of magnetospheric particles. Specifically, ion measurements from the Galileo spacecraft represent the periodicities, very distinctively, namely the periodic thinning of the plasma sheet and subsequent dipolarization, and explosive mass release occurring mainly during the transition between these two phases. We present a review of these periodicities, particularly concentrating on those observed in energetic particle data. The most distinct periodicities are observed for ions of sulfur and oxygen. The periodic topological change of the Jovian magnetosphere, the associated mass-release process and auroral signatures can be interpreted as a global magnetospheric instability with analogies to the two step concept of terrestrial substorms. Different views on the triggering mechanism of this magnetospheric instability are discussed.

Observational evidence for an inside-out substorm onset scenario

Abstract. We present observations which provide strong support for a substorm expansion phase onset scenario in which a localized inner magnetospheric instability developed first and was later followed by the development of a Near Earth Neutral Line (NENL) farther down-tail. Specifically, we find that the onset began as a localized brightening of an intensified growth phase arc which developed as a periodic series of arc-aligned (i.e. azimuthally arrayed) bright spots. As the disturbance grew, it evolved into vortical structures that propagated poleward and eventually morphed into an east-west aligned arc system at the poleward edge of the auroral substorm bulge. The evolution of the auroral intensity is consistent with an exponential growth with an e-folding time of around 188 s (corresponding to a linear growth rate, γ of 5.33×10−3 s−1). During the initial breakup, no obvious distortions of auroral forms to the north were observed. However, during the expansion phase, intensifications of the poleward boundary of the expanding bulge were observed together with the equatorward ejection of auroral streamers into the bulge. A strong particle injection was observed at geosynchronous orbit, but was delayed by several minutes relative to onset. Ground magnetometer data also shows a two phase development of mid-latitude positive H-bays, with a quasi-linear increase in H between the onset and the injection. We conclude that this event provides strong evidence in favor of the so-called "inside-out" substorm onset scenario in which the near Earth region activates first followed at a later time by the formation of a near-to-mid tail substorm X-line. The ballooning instability is discussed as a likely mechanism for the initial onset.

Kinetic instabilities in Mercury's magnetosphere: Three‐dimensional simulation results

A self‐consistent global three‐dimensional kinetic study of Mercury's magnetosphere is carried out examining waves and instabilities generated by ion temperature anisotropy and plasma flow. The overall structure of Mercury's upstream bow shock and magnetosheath are qualitatively very similar to those of Earth. Beam‐generated long‐wavelength oscillations are present upstream of Mercury's quasi‐parallel bow shock, whereas large‐amplitude mirror waves develop downstream of the quasi‐parallel bow shock in the magnetosheath. A train of mirror waves forms also downstream of the quasi‐perpendicular bow shock. A velocity shear near the magnetopause can lead to formation of vortex‐like structures. The magnetospheric cavity close to the planet's equatorial plane is filled with ions much hotter than the solar wind protons. A drift‐driven plasma belt close to the equator is present in the model and contains plasma with high‐temperature anisotropy, and the loss cone for charged particles in this region is large. The belt may cause diamagnetic effects superimposed on the planet's internal magnetic field and can interact with Mercury's magnetopause.

The appearance of magnetospheric instability in flaring activity at the onset of X-ray outbursts in A0535+26

We argue that X-ray flaring variability observed in the transient X-ray pulsar A0535+26 is due to low-mode magnetospheric instability. This instability develops at the onset of accretion, in the thin boundary layer between the accretion disk and neutron star magnetosphere. As a result, the matter collected in the boundary layer can rapidly fall onto the NS surface close to the magnetic poles, but not exactly along the field lines by which the stationary accretion proceeds. This explains the shift in cyclotron line energy measured using RXTE data in a pre-outburst spike, with respect to the line energy observed during the main outburst. Furthermore, the instability can account for the difference in pulse profiles, and their energy evolution that is different in the pre-outburst flare and main outburst.

Comparative Study of the Initial Spikes of Soft Gamma-Ray Repeater Giant Flares in 1998 and 2004 Observed withGeotail: Do Magnetospheric Instabilities Trigger Large-Scale Fracturing of a Magnetar's Crust?

We present the unsaturated peak profile of the giant flare from SGR 1900+14 on 1998 August 27. This was obtained by the particle counters of the Low Energy Particles instrument on board the Geotail spacecraft. The observed peak profile revealed four characteristic features: an initial steep rise, an intermediate rise to the peak, an exponential decay, and a small hump in the decay phase. From this light curve, we found that the isotropic peak luminosity was 2.3 × 1046 ergs s-1 and that the total energy was 4.3 × 1044 ergs s-1 (E 50 keV), assuming that the distance to SGR 1900+14 is 15 kpc and that the spectrum is optically thin thermal bremsstrahlung with kT = 240 keV. These values are consistent with the previously reported lower limits derived from Ulysses and Konus-Wind observations. A comparative study of the initial spikes of the SGR 1900+14 giant flare in 1998 and of the SGR 1806-20 giant flare in 2004 is also presented. The timescale of the initial steep rise shows a magnetospheric origin, while the timescale of the intermediate rise to the peak indicates that it originates from crustal fracturing. Finally, we argue that the four features and their corresponding timescales provide us with a clue to identify extragalactic soft gamma-ray repeater giant flares among short gamma-ray bursts.

On the association between northward turnings of the interplanetary magnetic field and substorm onsets

We re‐examine whether substorms are triggered by solar wind fluctuations or an internal magnetospheric instability by comparing the statistical associations between substorm onsets and (1) an external trigger definition, (2) a simple internal trigger definition of only prior loading of solar wind energy that is a subset of the external trigger definition. Statistical associations are calculated both for observed substorm onsets and onsets generated by a Minimal Substorm Model in which substorms are purely internally triggered. Thence we argue that a minimum interval of prior loading is a necessary condition for substorm onset, a subsequent northward IMF turning is not necessary, and consequently that an internal trigger from a magnetospheric instability is a necessary and sufficient condition for substorm onset. We discuss how this result may explain a report that externally triggered substorms are systematically larger than non‐externally triggered substorms.

Interaction of Alfvén front with the plasma anomalous resistance layer

Abstract.The efficiency of the Alfvén impulse excitation in the auroral zone of the terrestrial magnetosphere upon the onset of the anomalous field-aligned resistance has been estimated. The impulsive disturbance excited during the onset of anomalous field-aligned resistance and electric field may signify the transition of a global magnetospheric instability into the explosive phase with positive feedback. We consider the self-consistent problem on excitation of anomalous resistance at the front of field-aligned current and reverse influence upon it from the induced currents. The analytical solution of the self-consistent problem has shown that during the entrance of field-aligned current front into the anomalous resistivity layer (ARL) an Alfvénic impulse is generated. The interaction of the external current with ARL results in the delay of the current growth. The impulse duration and delay time depend on the ratio between the Alfvén damping scale and external current width. The solution obtained indicates the possibility of using the Alfvénic impulse as an indicator of distant occurrence of anomalous resistance.

Occurrence frequencies of IMF triggered and nontriggered substorms

The occurrence of triggered and nontriggered substorm are examined in light of current interest in such issues as substorm identification, IMF By variations, and potentially undetected small‐scale solar wind perturbation. Global substorms are identified using a sudden, persistent decrease in the AL index. The onset of this global expansion is taken to be the time of the Pi 2 burst nearest in time to the beginning of the AL decrease. IMF triggers were identified both subjectively through visual scanning of the data and automatically with a computer algorithm. Both northward turnings of the IMF Bz and decreases in the amplitude of the By component were considered as possible triggers. Two different solar wind monitors were used in the investigation: IMP‐8 in a circular orbit with a distance 12∼35 Re to the Earth‐Sun line and ISEE‐2 in an elliptical orbit with a distance only 5∼10 Re to the Earth‐Sun line. The IMP‐8 results show that the triggering probability does not depend on the distance of the monitor from the Earth‐Sun line in the range 12–35 Re. The ISEE dataset shows that closer than 12 Re the triggering probability is the same as it is in the IMP‐8 data set. Thus there appears to be no dependence of triggering on the location of the monitor provided it is within 35 Re of the Earth. We also demonstrate that including the By component does not significantly increase the probability of substorm triggering. Approximately 60% of all substorms appear to be triggered. Of the 40% for which we could not identify a trigger, 10% occurred while the IMF was northward. The data suggest that substorm onset is a consequence of an internal magnetospheric instability that is highly sensitive to changes in magnetospheric convection induced by a sudden change in the IMF, but that these changes are not always necessary.

On spin-up/spin-down torque reversals in disc accreting pulsars

The recent BATSE observations of the spin-up and spin-down of accreting pulsars have shown that the standard formulation for the accretion torque as proposed by Ghosh &38; Lamb may need to be revised. The observations indicate alternate spin-up and spin-down phases driven by torques of similar magnitude and typically larger than the mean torque. The variations of the torque in systems such as Cen X-3 are difficult to explain in terms of changes of the mass accretion rate. The implication is that the torque does not depend on the accretion rate as in the GL model. In this paper we argue that the observed changes in the spin rate can result from stochastic transitions between two magnetospheric states. In particular, we show that intermediate magnetospheric systems are not admissible, because of a disc-induced magnetospheric instability which exists in a star-disc magnetic interaction system. This explains why torque reversal occurs in disc accreting pulsars with similar magnitudes.

Substorms: Fundamental observational features, distinction from other disturbances, and external triggering

Fundamental observational signatures of substorms and other auroral zone disturbances are summarized in this review. It is shown that at least three distinct types of major geomagnetic disturbance have been identified in the auroral zones, and it is suggested that care should be taken in distinguishing substorms from the other types of disturbance when reaching observational conclusions concerning substorms. Substorms can be uniquely identified by the formation of the current wedge and by the associated westward electrojet and region of active aurora that move poleward within the ionosphere during the expansion phase. Periods of enhanced convection have been observed to continue without substorms for as long as the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) remains stably southward. They can have AL signatures that look very much like intense substorms, but these signatures result from strong DP 2 ionospheric currents driven by enhanced convection rather than from a nightside, westward electrojet. A third type of disturbance is characterized by short intervals of enhanced equatorward flow within the ionosphere and enhanced auroral emissions. These enhancements move equatorward from near the polar cap boundary, and they may be associated with several‐minute‐long enhancements of earthward flow within the plasma sheet. Studies that have examined the triggering of substorm expansions by IMF changes are also reviewed. When considered together, and substorms are distinguished from the other disturbances, these studies imply that most, and perhaps all, expansions are triggered by IMF changes. These changes include both northward turnings and reductions in the magnitude of the y component. If most substorms are indeed externally triggered as suggested here, then substorms must generally not be the result of an internal magnetospheric instability.

Observations of magnetospheric substorms occurring with no apparent solar wind/IMF trigger

An outstanding topic in magnetospheric physics is whether substorms are always externally triggered by disturbances in either the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) or solar wind, or whether they can also occur solely as the result of an internal magnetospheric instability. Over the past decade, arguments have been made on both sides of this issue. Horwitz [1985] and McPherron et al. [1986] have shown examples of substorm onsets which they claimed were not externally triggered. However, as pointed out by Lyons [1995, 1996], there are several problems associated with these studies that make their results somewhat inconclusive. In particular, in the McPherron et al. study, fluctuations in the By component were not considered as possible triggers. Furthermore, Lyons suggests that the sharp decreases in the AL index during intervals of steady IMF/solar wind are not substorms at all but rather that they are just enhancements of the convection driven DP 2 current system that are often observed to occur during steady magnetospheric convection events. In the present study, we utilize a much more comprehensive data set (consisting of particle data from the Los Alamos energetic particle detectors at geosynchronous orbit, IMP 8 magnetometer and plasma data, Viking UV auroral imager data, midlatitude Pi 2 pulsation data, ground magnetometer data, and ISEE 1 magnetic field and energetic particle data) to show as unambiguously as possible that typical substorms can indeed occur in the absence of an identifiable trigger in the solar wind/IMF.