Status: this preprint has been withdrawn by the authors.
Inferring the source regions of pulsating auroras
Eric Gronoand Eric Donovan
Abstract. The aurora is an essential tool for remote sensing the large-scale dynamics of the magnetosphere which are to difficult to observe in situ and impossible to recreate in a lab. Despite pulsating aurora being a common and widespread morning-sector phenomenon, the processes responsible for its differentiation are not understood. In situ measurements of the pulsating aurora source regions are difficult to associate with specific auroral features, yet such observations will be necessary for identifying the unique causes of pulsating auroras. This study reports a method of inferring when a spacecraft is passing through the source region of patchy aurora (PA) based on the structuring of chorus. The locations of longer-lived chorus packets are found to correspond to the region of PA occurrence reported by Grono et al. (2019b). This result constrains the region where the structuring mechanisms and conditions responsible for PA and patchy pulsating aurora (PPA) can exist.
This preprint has been withdrawn.
Received: 06 Dec 2019 – Discussion started: 02 Jan 2020
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Pulsating auroras have recently begun to be reconsidered in the context of the conditions and mechanisms driving them. This research connects one type of pulsating aurora to specific plasma waves and uses in situ plasma observations to infer the source region of this aurora. Shortcomings of the available methods of associating in situ observations with specific auroral features are outlined and a key issue is identified which challenges our understanding of pulsating aurora formation.
Pulsating auroras have recently begun to be reconsidered in the context of the conditions and...