Complexities of determining the Field-Aligned current density from LEO satellites.

Abstract:

We show results from a study of the field-aligned currents (FAC) as derived from SWARM magnetic field perturbations. We calculate the FAC density using four different techniques and explain why they provide different results. Theoretical work, simulations and data are used to show that widely used techniques can provide current density estimates with errors of 1000%. These errors can be explained by spatial gradients in the currents and temporal variability of the currents as well as a breakdown of other fundamental assumptions. We apply the techniques to auroral crossings with THEMIS ASI coverage and use the SWARM magnetic field observations to calculate the current density. Finally, we show how to estimate the errors in the current density calculations.