Abstract
Magnetic reconnection occurring between the interplanetary magnetic
field and the dayside magnetopause causes a circulation of magnetic flux
and plasma within the magnetosphere, known as the Dungey cycle. This
circulation is transmitted to the ionosphere via field-aligned currents
(FACs). The magnetic flux transport within the Dungey cycle is
quantified by the cross-polar cap potential (CPCP or transpolar
voltage). Previous studies have suggested that under strong driving
conditions the CPCP can saturate near a value of 250 kV. In this study
we investigate whether an analogous saturation occurs in the magnitudes
of the FACs, using observations from the Active Magnetosphere and
Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment (AMPERE). The solar wind
speed, density and pressure, the Bz component of the interplanetary
magnetic field, and combinations of these, were compared to the
concurrent integrated current magnitude, across each hemisphere. We find
that FAC magnitudes are controlled most strongly by solar wind speed and
the orientation and strength of the interplanetary magnetic field. FAC
magnitude increases monotonically with solar wind driving but there is a
distinct knee in the variation around IMF Bz = -10 nT, above which the
increase slows.