HR: 0800h
AN: SM31B-1234    [Abstracts]
TI: The Transpolar Potential During the November 2003 Magnetic Storm
AU: * Rothwell, P L
EM: Paul.Rothwell@hanscom.af.mil
AF: Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, 29 Randolph Rd., Hanscom AFB, MA 01731 United States
AU: Burke, W J
AF: Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, 29 Randolph Rd., Hanscom AFB, MA 01731 United States
AU: Jasperse, J R
AF: Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, 29 Randolph Rd., Hanscom AFB, MA 01731 United States
AB: The November 2003 magnetic storm was particularly severe, with the minimum value of Dst reaching - 472 nT at 2000h UT on November 20. Four hours earlier (1600h) IMFBz reached its minimum value of ~ -50 nT (clock angle = 176o), with Psw = 18 nPa, Vz ~600 km/s, H+ density = 30 ions/cm-3, Esw = 29 mV/m. Inputting these parameters into the Hill-Siscoe (Siscoe et al. [2002], Ober et al. [2003]) transpolar potential model, a maximum polar transpotential of 300 kV for an estimated polar cap conductance of 10.1 mhos (F10.7 ~ 170). According to the Hill-Siscoe model this requires a Region I current of ~9 MA. The DMSP (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) satellites F13 and F15 trajectories passed through various sections of the two-cell polar cap potential configuration, so that a direct measurement of the full transpolar cap potential is not probable. However, a theoretical two-cell potential configuration can be obtained from the Nopper-Carovillano (N-C) Model [Nopper and Carovillano, 1978] which then allows the experimental data to be normalized to a known transpolar cap potential. In this light, we find general agreement between the time-history predicted by the Hill-Siscoe model and the DMSP data, using 104 transpolar passes. We also find the maximum experimental value for the transpolar cap potential of 220 ñ 50 kV which is to be compared to the value predicted by the Hill-Siscoe Model (300 kV). R.W.Nopper and R.L. Carovillano, Geophys. Res. Ltrs.,5,699,1978. Siscoe et al., J. Geophys. Res., 107, A6, SMP 8, 2002. Ober et al., J. Geophys. Res., 108, A12, SMP 27, 2003.
DE: 2164 Solar wind plasma
DE: 2471 Plasma waves and instabilities
DE: 2475 Polar cap ionosphere
DE: 2708 Current systems (2409)
DE: 2784 Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting