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Red Line Diffuse-Like Aurora Driven by Time Domain Structures Associated with Braking Magnetotail Flow Bursts
  • +8
  • Yangyang Shen,
  • Jun Liang,
  • Anton V Artemyev,
  • Vassilis Angelopoulos,
  • Qianli Ma,
  • Larry R. Lyons,
  • Jiang Liu,
  • Yukitoshi (Toshi) Nishimura,
  • Xiao-Jia Zhang,
  • Ivan Vasko,
  • Donald L. Hampton
Yangyang Shen
University of California Los Angeles

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Jun Liang
University of Calgary
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Anton V Artemyev
UCLA IGPP
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Vassilis Angelopoulos
University of California Los Angeles
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Qianli Ma
Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Larry R. Lyons
University of California Los Angeles
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Jiang Liu
IGPP, UCLA
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Yukitoshi (Toshi) Nishimura
Boston University
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Xiao-Jia Zhang
The University of Texas at Dallas
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Ivan Vasko
University of Texas at Dallas
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Donald L. Hampton
University of Alaska Fairbanks
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Abstract

Magnetotail earthward-propagating fast plasma flows provide important pathways for magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. This study reexamines a flow-related red-line diffuse-like aurora event previously reported by Liang et al., (2011), utilizing THEMIS and ground-based auroral observations from Poker Flat. We find that time domain structures (TDSs) within the flow bursts efficiently drive electron precipitation below a few keV, aligning with predominantly red-line auroral intensifications in this non-substorm event. The diffuse-like auroras sometimes coexisted with or potentially evolved from discrete forms. We forward model red-line diffuse-like auroras due to TDS-driven precipitation, employing the time-dependent TREx-ATM auroral transport code. The good correlation (0.77) between our modeled and observed red line emissions underscores that TDSs are a primary driver of the red-line diffuse-like auroras, though whistler-mode wave contributions are needed to fully explain the most intense red-line emissions.
01 Mar 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
04 Mar 2024Published in ESS Open Archive