Y. Kamide, Interplanetary and magnetospheric electric fields during geomagnetic storms: what is more important, steady-state fields or fluctuating fields?, J ATMOS S-P, 63(5), 2001, pp. 413-420
Citations number
26
Categorie Soggetti
Earth Sciences
Journal title
JOURNAL OF ATMOSPHERIC AND SOLAR-TERRESTRIAL PHYSICS
Most of the D-st variance during intense geomagnetic storms can be reproduc
ed by changes in large-scale electric fields in the solar wind. Whether suc
cessive substorms (in other words, magnetospheric electric fields) play a d
irect role in the energization of storm-time ring current particles is the
subject of continuing controversy. This short review proposes that, during
magnetic storms, the quasi-steady component of the interplanetary electric
fields is important in enhancing the ring current, while changes, or fluctu
ations, in the solar wind electric fields are responsible for initiating ma
gnetospheric substorms. Thus, as in a "thought" experiment, if one were to
control the solar wind, i.e., to generate purely steady southward interplan
etary magnetic field (IMF), the result would be a geomagnetic storm during
which no substorm expansions take place. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All
rights reserved.