Differentiating diffuse auroras based on phenomenology
There is mounting evidence which suggests that pulsating auroral patches often move with convection. This study is an initial step at identifying the differences between patches that move with convection and those that do not. While many properties of pulsating patches vary, here we outline crite...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2018-06-01
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| Series: | Annales Geophysicae |
| Online Access: | https://www.ann-geophys.net/36/891/2018/angeo-36-891-2018.pdf |
| Summary: | There is mounting evidence which suggests that pulsating auroral patches
often move with convection. This study is an initial step at identifying the
differences between patches that move with convection and those that do not.
While many properties of pulsating patches vary, here we outline criteria for
separating pulsating auroral patches into three categories based on two
properties: their structural stability and the spatial extent of their
pulsations. Patchy aurora is characterized by stable structures whose
pulsations are limited to small regions. Patchy pulsating aurora consists of
stable patches whose pulsations are far less subtle and occur throughout much
of their area. Amorphous pulsating auroral structures are unstable – very
rapidly evolving – and can pulsate over their entire area. The speed with
which amorphous pulsating aurora evolves makes their motion difficult to
ascertain and seems unrelated to the <strong><i xmlns="">E</i></strong> × <strong><i xmlns="">B</i></strong> drifting of
cold, equatorial plasma. |
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| ISSN: | 0992-7689 1432-0576 |