Dawnside Auroral Polarization Streams

Abstract:

Although the postmidnight‐to‐dawn sector of the auroral ionosphere contains interesting dynamic phenomena that may significantly impact the magnetosphere‐ionosphere‐thermosphere (M‐I‐T) system, it has been much less studied than the dusk‐to‐premidnight sector. We discuss a dynamic phenomenon of enhanced eastward fast flows within the auroral oval in the postmidnight-to-dawn sector. The flows are mainly within the expanse of the Region-1 (R1) field-aligned currents (FACs) equatorward of the polar cap, and the flow peak is near the interface between the R1 and Region 2 (R2) FACs with a steep speed gradient increasing from low to high latitudes. Because such flows correspond to an electric field that most likely comes from enhanced R2 currents and an associated spatial conductivity gradient, their generation mechanism is analogous to that of a subauroral polarization stream (SAPS). Therefore, we refer to such an eastward flow as a dawnside auroral polarization stream (DAPS). We show several examples of the presence and absence of DAPS under different geomagnetic activity levels. A DAPS electric field can heat the ionosphere (and thus the thermosphere), change the convection pattern of the magnetosphere‐ionosphere system, and modify the drift path of magnetospheric particles. Because a DAPS’ flow peak maps to a major site of magnetic‐kinetic energy conversion in the magnetosphere (the transition region between dipole and stretched field), it may be important for the conversion. A DAPS’ steep flow gradient is also potentially important; it may lead to instabilities, such as that responsible for auroral Omega bands. Given its potential importance, knowledge of DAPS is fundamental for understanding the M‐I‐T system.