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Transpolar Arcs During a Prolonged Radial Interplanetary Magnetic Field Interval

  •  28 May 2021

Key Points

  • Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellites observed transpolar arcs (TPAs) in both hemispheres even during a prolonged radial interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) interval

  • The TPAs can be categorized into two different types according to the precipitating particles and plasma drift velocity

  • TPA formation is not limited to northward IMF conditions, and TPAs can occur on both closed and open field lines

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Dependence of Parallel Electrical Conductivity in the Topside Ionosphere on Solar and Geomagnetic Activity

  •  27 May 2021

Key Points

  • Analysis of the parallel electrical conductivity in the topside ionosphere by using 6 years of in-situ Swarm A measurements is performed

  • The dependence of the parallel electrical conductivity on both solar and geomagnetic activity is investigated

  • The comparison with the IRI model allowed estimating the contribution to the parallel conductivity mainly due to particle precipitations

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Observations and Simulations of Dropout Events and Flux Decays in October 2013: Comparing MEO Equatorial With LEO Polar Orbit

  •  26 May 2021

Key Points

  • Simulations reproduce effects of magnetic field modification on the motion of electrons during geomagnetic storms

  • The simulations help to understand the comparison of electron fluxes measured by EPT at LEO with those of MagEIS close to the equator

  • The data indicate that the dropouts are due to magnetopause shadowing while other flux variations are associated to waves

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Issue Information

  •  24 May 2021
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Omega Band Magnetospheric Source Location: A Statistical Model‐Based Study

  •  24 May 2021

Key Points

  • The 90% of all omega bands are mapped to R = 6–14 RE in the morning sector

  • Averaged B(R) profile indicates that omega structures map to transition region between dipole-like and stretched tail-like configurations

  • Omega projections propagate in radial and azimuthal directions with a speed of up to few tens of km/s

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GNSS TEC‐Based Detection and Analysis of Acoustic‐Gravity Waves From the 2012 Sumatra Double Earthquake Sequence

  •  21 May 2021

Key Points

  • Acoustic-gravity waves from the 2012 Sumatra double earthquake sequence were detected in GNSS data and sources were traced using a geometric model

  • Presence of acoustic resonant frequencies and wave speeds below 2 km/s suggests coseismic ground movement as the wave generation mechanism

  • Directivity in wave propagation is explained by the orientation of geomagnetic field using a simple model

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Dynamics of the Tongue of Ionizations During the Geomagnetic Storm on September 7, 2015

  •  21 May 2021

Key Points

  • Obvious storm enhanced density (SEDs) occurred in the prenoon and afternoon sectors for both double and single tongue of ionization (TOI) events

  • The prenoon SED was caused by both upward and meridional E × B drifts

  • The increasing duskward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) By and northward turning of IMF Bz accounted for the transition from the double TOI to the single TOI

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Embedded Regions 1 and 2 Field‐Aligned Currents: Newly Recognized From Low‐Altitude Spacecraft Observations

  •  21 May 2021

Key Points

  • Embedded Regions 1 and 2 currents are intense, latitudinally mesoscale, field-aligned currents (FACs) adjacent to the region 1/2 interface

  • Embedded FACs coincide with inverted-V precipitation, discrete auroral arcs, and fast ionospheric flows

  • Embedded FACs may result from enhanced magnetosphere-ionosphere convection

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Models of Resonant Wave‐Particle Interactions

  •  21 May 2021

Key Points

  • Resonant wave-particle interactions are analyzed with a 1D time-dependent Hamiltonian avoiding a commonly used approximation

  • Large values of the single parameter give standard phase bunching and phase trapping behavior

  • Smaller values of the parameter give novel versions of phase trapping including recently reported anomalous trapping at small pitch angle

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Investigating the Link Between Outer Radiation Belt Losses and Energetic Electron Escape at the Magnetopause: A Case Study Using Multi‐Mission Observations and Simulations

  •  20 May 2021

Key Points

  • Linkage between flux dropouts and dayside escape is investigated using observations along with global magnetohydrodynamics and test particle simulations

  • A nonstorm event enables study of subsequent losses that might occur after initial compression and relaxation of the magnetopause boundary

  • Observations and simulations help characterize loss by bounding parameters such as rate, duration, and distribution across the magnetopause

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HF‐VHF Electromagnetic Emissions from Collisions of Sprite Streamers

  •  4 June 2021

Key Points

  • EM emissions produced by a collision between two sprite streamers with opposite polarities are predicted using streamer and antenna models.

  • Calculated radiated power from these EM emissions is compared to DEMETER, TARANIS, and FORTE radio instruments sensitivities.

  • Sensitive ground-based instruments such as radiotelescopes (e.g., NenuFAR) may detect these emissions.

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Anomalous increase in the occurrence of post‐midnight FAI radar echoes in September 2019 and its relation with the austral sudden stratospheric warming

  •  4 June 2021

Key Points

  • Large increase in the occurrence of post-midnight radar echoes in September 2019, when there is austral polar stratospheric warming event

  • Relative dominance of SW2 tidal amplitudes over DW1 tidal amplitudes due to accumulation of ozone in the equatorial stratosphere

  • Suppression of DW1 is due to its interaction with planetary waves and semi-diurnal character in zonal electric field can cause radar echoes

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Atmosphere‐Ionosphere (A‐I) coupling as viewed by ICON: Day‐to‐day variability due to planetary wave (PW)‐tide interactions

  •  31 May 2021

Key Points

  • Coincident ICON measurements of neutral winds, plasma drifts and total ion densities (\coloneq Ne) are analyzed during January 1-21, 2020.

  • We show for the first time that PW winds modulate DE3 and produce longitudinal wave-4 variations in F-region vertical drifts ∼±10 ms−1, Ne ∼±30%.

  • Measured F-region wave-4 winds suggest that SPW4, SE2 & DW5 arising from tide-tide and tide-ion drag interactions also contribute to Ne variability.

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The Estimation of D‐region Electron Densities from Trans‐ionospheric VLF Signals

  •  31 May 2021

Key Points

  • D-region electron density estimation

  • Trans-ionospheric VLF propagation

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Temporal evolution of three‐dimensional structures of metal ion layer around Japan simulated by a mid‐latitude ionospheric model

  •  31 May 2021

Key Points

  • Direction and magnitude of horizontal winds below 110 km affect MILs because MILs lag behind the wind shear null, where wind velocity is 0.

  • The sporadicity of MILs is attributed to the horizontal transportation of their 3-D structures.

  • Around Japan, vertical winds can modify the structures of MILs below 100 km.

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Re‐reconnection Processes of Magnetopause Flux Ropes: Three‐Dimensional Global Hybrid Simulations

  •  31 May 2021

Key Points

  • The re-reconnection between two flux ropes results in a transformation of free field lines into semi-open field lines.

  • The re-reconnection between a flux rope and cusp field lines produces more semi-open field lines, and the flux rope can break into two short ones.

  • The two re-reconnection processes favor particle/energy transport towards Earth’s magnetosphere, which may affect additional auroral signatures, such as poleward moving aurora forms.

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Statistical Survey of Collisionless Dissipation in the Terrestrial Magnetosheath

  •  27 May 2021

Key Points

  • Channels for conversion of turbulent energy into internal energy. i.e., dissipation, are investigated using MMS data in the terrestrial magnetosheath.

  • An ensemble of 50 magnetosheath turbulent intervals is identified and analyzed, in terms of compressive and incompressive channels, and divided into quasi-parallel and quasi-perpendicular bow shock types.

  • Both heating and cooling intervals are found for both compressive and incompressive channels; the distribution of values in the compressive channel is closer to gaussian.

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The characteristics of EMIC waves in the magnetosphere based on the Van Allen Probes and Arase observations

  •  27 May 2021

Key Points

  • EMIC waves in the magnetosphere have four major occurrence regions excited by possibly different generation processes.

  • For He-EMIC waves in the afternoon sector, injected particles and off-equatorial sources are the major driver at L∼6 and L>8, respectively.

  • H-EMIC waves are generated by enhancing dynamic pressure in the noon sector at L<6, or suprathermal protons in the dawn sector at L>8.

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Geospace plume and its impact on dayside magnetopause reconnection rate

  •  27 May 2021

Key Points

  • We strategically coordinate measurements made by THEMIS and LANL spacecraft, GPS network, and SuperDARN to investigate geospace plumes.

  • Plumes decrease the local reconnection rate at the plume longitude and increase the reconnection rate in regions adjacent to the plume.

  • When the solar wind is stable, the global reconnection remains unchanged in presence of plumes, supporting a global-control theory.

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Comparison of MMS Observations of Foreshock Bubbles with a Global Hybrid Simulation

  •  26 May 2021

Key Points

  • The MMS spacecraft observe two fully developed foreshock bubbles whose properties are compared with the predictions of the hybrid code model

  • A global hybrid simulation predicts the characteristics of two foreshock bubbles in the region upstream from the bow shock

  • The simulation results match MMS observations of the two FBs, but uncertainties associated with solar wind conditions need to be considered

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Possible modification of the cooling index of interstellar helium pickup ions by electron impact ionization in the inner heliosphere

Key Points

  • The influence of electron impact ionization is negligible
  • Its influence is also small even in the compressions

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A Low Signal Detection of X‐Rays From Uranus

Key Points

  • A Chandra ACIS observation reveals a 10.3 sigma detection of X-rays from Uranus with a probability of chance occurrence of 10−6–10−7

  • Uranus' X-rays are concentrated between 0.6 and 1.1 keV, consistent with emission observed from Jupiter and Saturn

  • The X-ray fluxes seem to exceed scattered solar emission alone, which may suggest X-ray aurora and/or X-ray fluorescence from the rings

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Earth's Van Allen Radiation Belts: From Discovery to the Van Allen Probes Era

Key Points

  • A brief historical background on the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts and their response to solar activity is introduced
  • Recent advances in understanding mechanisms responsible for radiation belt electron acceleration, transport, and loss are reviewed
  • Outstanding challenges for developing future radiation belt models are summarized

Plain Language Summary

Discovery of the Earth's Van Allen radiation belts by instruments flown on Explorer 1 in 1958 was the first major discovery of the Space Age. The dynamic properties of trapped outer zone electrons and the outer boundary of the inner zone proton population, along with source populations, have recently been studied in great detail by instruments on National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Van Allen Probes spacecraft, as well as other data sources like operational spacecraft designed for navigation and terrestrial weather forecasting. The vulnerability of the myriad of spacecraft that is strongly affected by space weather disruptions, as compared to 1958, has motivated the radiation belt community to develop essential improved models for forecasting the space environment we will inhabit in the 21st century and evaluate its impacts on our technological society. In this paper, we provide a review on historical background and recent advances in understanding and modeling acceleration, transport, and loss processes of energetic particles in the Earth's Van Allen radiation belts, followed by outstanding challenges for developing future radiation belt models. The findings on the fundamental physics of the Van Allen radiation belts potentially provide insights into understanding energetic particle dynamics at other magnetized planets in the solar system, exoplanets throughout the universe, as well as in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. Given the potential Space Weather impact of radiation belt variability on technological systems, these new radiation belt models are expected to play a critical role in our technological society in the future much as meteorological models do today.

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Magnetic Reconnection in the Space Sciences: Past, Present, and Future

Key Points

  • Magnetic reconnection is a key energy conversion and transport process in plasmas
  • There has been recent, considerable, research progress understanding how reconnection works
  • Many exciting research challenges await, while we can reap the benefits of our new understanding

Plain Language Summary

In space, huge amounts of energy are released explosively by a mysterious mechanism: magnetic reconnection. Reconnection can abruptly convert energy stored in magnetic fields to energy in charged particles, and power such diverse phenomena as solar and stellar flares, magnetic storms and aurorae in near-Earth space, and major disruptions in magnetically confined fusion devices. It is behind many of the dangerous effects associated with space weather, including damage to satellites, endangering astronauts, and impacting the power grid and pipelines. Understanding reconnection enables us to quantitatively describe and predict these magnetic explosions. Therefore, magnetic reconnection has been at the forefront of scientific interest for many years, and will be for many more. Measuring reconnection is incredibly difficult. However, recently scientists have been able to peek into its machinery. Combining measurements from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission with supercomputer modeling, scientists have now been able to analyze the inner workings of this elusive mechanism. Even though open questions remain, this new understanding has broad implications. Here, we describe magnetic reconnection, where it plays a role, its impacts on society, and what we now know about it. We point to future research challenges, including implications and the utility of our recently developed knowledge.

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