Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Type
Submission
Keywords
lobe reconnection, magnetic reconnection, aurora
Department
Physics
Major
Physics
Abstract
It is believed that magnetic reconnection is one of the main mechanisms to transfer energy and momentum from the for the solar wind into the terrestrial environment. Dungey suggested that magnetic reconnection occurs on the dayside magnetosphere when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is southward. Poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs) have been identified in past studies as Ionospheric signatures of magnetic reconnection on the dayside.
However, magnetic reconnection can also occur for other geometrical orientations of the IMF. This presentation presents possible examples, 1 December 2021, for lobe reconnection during periods when the IMF x-component is negative, coupled with a positive IMF y-component and IMF z-component. Auroral forms are observed to brighten and move equatorward instead of poleward during this IMF configuration between 16-17 UT and they coincide with sharp deflections in the ground magnetometer X-component. Ground-based data is obtained from the Kjell Henriksen Observatory (all-sky camera and meridian scanning photometer) in Longyearbyen and the IMAGE magnetometer network.
Faculty Mentor
Gerard Fasel
Funding Source or Research Program
Keck Scholars Program
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
11-4-2025 1:00 PM
End Date
11-4-2025 2:00 PM
Ionospheric Evidence of Lobe Reconnection for Northward IMF
Waves Cafeteria
It is believed that magnetic reconnection is one of the main mechanisms to transfer energy and momentum from the for the solar wind into the terrestrial environment. Dungey suggested that magnetic reconnection occurs on the dayside magnetosphere when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is southward. Poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs) have been identified in past studies as Ionospheric signatures of magnetic reconnection on the dayside.
However, magnetic reconnection can also occur for other geometrical orientations of the IMF. This presentation presents possible examples, 1 December 2021, for lobe reconnection during periods when the IMF x-component is negative, coupled with a positive IMF y-component and IMF z-component. Auroral forms are observed to brighten and move equatorward instead of poleward during this IMF configuration between 16-17 UT and they coincide with sharp deflections in the ground magnetometer X-component. Ground-based data is obtained from the Kjell Henriksen Observatory (all-sky camera and meridian scanning photometer) in Longyearbyen and the IMAGE magnetometer network.
