The lack of ring current response to large Y-component IMF [presentation]
Mitchell, E. J., Lopez, R. E., Wiltberger, M., Lyon, J., Allen, R., & Whittlesey, P. (2009). The lack of ring current response to large Y-component IMF [presentation]. In AGU Fall Meeting 2009. American Geophysical Union: San Francisco, CA, US.
The formation of the ring current has been attributed to two processes, enhanced magnetospheric convection and particle injection. The transpolar potential may be used as a proxy for magnetospheric convection so that enhanced transpolar potential indicates enhanced magnetospheric convection. Ring... Show moreThe formation of the ring current has been attributed to two processes, enhanced magnetospheric convection and particle injection. The transpolar potential may be used as a proxy for magnetospheric convection so that enhanced transpolar potential indicates enhanced magnetospheric convection. Ring current response is measured by the SYM-H index. During large Y-component (By) Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF), the transpolar potential saturates as it does for large southward IMF. We will present evidence of this saturation in both observations and simulation results. During the same periods, the SYM-H index ranges in value, both positive and negative. No organized ring current response to the large polar cap potentials is evident in the data. We conclude that although large IMF By generates significant ionospheric convection, the magnetospheric counterpart is not effective at producing a ring current. Show less
