HR: 09:00h
AN: SM51A-05    [PDF]
TI: Investigation of cusp dynamics with IMAGE-FUV
AU: * Frey, H U
EM: hfrey@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Fuselier, S A
EM: stephen.a.fuselier@lmco.com
AF: Lockheed Martin, Advanced Technology Center, Palo Alto, CA 94304 United States
AU: Mende, S B
EM: mende@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Phan, T D
EM: phan@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Immel, T J
EM: immel@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AU: Ostgaard, N
EM: nikost@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 United States
AB: The Earth's cusps constitute the regions of critical coupling and most direct access of solar wind plasma into the terrestrial magnetosphere/ionosphere. Ionospheric observations at the cusp footprint can thus be used to investigate the coupling process and its dynamics. Ground-based and in-situ measurements of cusp signatures are limited in time and spatial coverage. Recently, observations of proton aurora signatures by the IMAGE-FUV instrument demonstrated the long-duration coverage of precipitation signatures into the cusp. Global observations do not just provide the context information but allow for long-term observation of the cusp dynamics during varying solar wind conditions. We will summarize the results of such investigations demonstrating the different morphology of cusp precipitation during northward and southward IMF, the dynamic responses to changes in the IMF east-west component, the connection between cusp precipitation and reconnection at the high- and low-latitude magnetopause, and the overall importance of proton and electron precipitation into the ionosphere at the cusp footprint.
DE: 2704 Auroral phenomena (2407)
DE: 2716 Energetic particles, precipitating
DE: 2724 Magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers
DE: 7835 Magnetic reconnection
SC: SPA - Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting