High-altitude signatures of ionospheric density depletions caused by field-aligned currents

2007/04/12 by Tomas Karlsson, T. Karlsson, Karlsson, T. +9
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies #Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics #Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph) #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #Space Physics (physics.space-ph) #physics.plasm-ph #physics.space-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.0704.1610

arxiv created 2007/04/12 · openalex publication_date 2007/04/12 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We present Cluster measurements of large electric fields correlated with intense downward field-aligned currents, and show that the data can be reproduced by a simple model of ionospheric plasma depletion caused by the currents. This type of magnetosphere-ionosphere interaction may be important when considering the mapping between these two regions of space.

Related

• Evidence of small-scale field aligned current sheets from the low and middle altitude cusp continuing in the ionosphere
• Concerning the conjugation of field-aligned currents
• Global-MHD Simulations using MagPIE : Impact of Flux Transfer Events on the Ionosphere
• Meso-Scale Electrodynamic Coupling of the Earth Magnetosphere-Ionosphere System
• On the curlometer measurement of field-aligned and perpendicular currents in low Earth orbit: Swarm observations and whole geospace simulations