A Numerical Simulation of Impulses in the Magnetosphere Associated with Substorms: OpenGGCM Result

Abstract:

The onset of substorms is still an unsolved problem in Space Physics even though many physical models explaining the substorm process have been proposed. Distinguishing the processes that occur during first 2 minutes of substorm process depends critically on the correct timing of different signals in the plasma sheet and the ionosphere. This has been difficult to accomplish with data alone, since signals are sometimes ambiguous, or they have not been observed at the right locations. To investigate signal propagation paths and signal travel times, we use OpenGGCM global simulation. By launching impulses from various locations in the tail, we investigate the path taken by the waves and the time it takes for different waves to reach the ionosphere. We find that it takes around 60 seconds for waves to travel from 30 R_E to the ionosphere, contrary to many previous reports. We also find that the Tamao path is not generally the preferred path for waves originating in the plasma sheet, and that waves travel faster through the lobes. In addition, we find that a point source in the tail around 10-15 R_E leads to spread-out signals in the ionosphere, whereas a point source further down in the tail around 20-30 R_E leads to more localized signatures in the ionosphere. We also use the same technique to launch impulses in the dayside magnetosphere, and we find it takes less than 1 minute for wave to travel from the dayside to the nightside.