A study of omega bands and Ps6 pulsations on the ground, at low altitude and at geostationary orbit

We investigate the electrodynamic coupling between auroral omega bands and the inner magnetosphere, The goal of this study is to determine the feature s to which omega bands map in the magnetosphere. To establish the auroral-m agnetosphere connection, we appeal to the case study analysis of the data r ich event of September 26, 1989. At 6 magnetic local time (MLT), two trains of Ps6 pulsations (ground magnetic signatures of omega bands) were observe d to drift over the Canadian Auroral Network For the OPEN Program Unified S tudy (CANOPUS) chain, At the same time periodic ionospheric flow patterns m oved through the collocated Bistatic Auroral Radar System (BARS) field of v iew. Similar coincident magnetic variations were observed by GOES 6, GOES 7 and SCATHA, all of which had magnetic foot points near the CANOPUS/BARS st ations. SCATHA, which was located at 6 MLT, 0.5 R-E earthward of GOES 7 obs erved the 10 min period pulsations, whereas GOES 7 did not. In addition, DM SP F6 and F8 were over-flying the region and observed characteristic precip itation and flow signatures, From this fortunate constellation of ground an d space observations, we conclude that auroral omega bands are the electrod ynamic signature of a corrugated current sheet (or some similar spatially l ocalized magnetic structure) in the near-Earth geostationary magnetosphere.