The interaction between transpolar arcs and cusp spots

dc.contributor.author	Fear, R.C.
dc.contributor.author	Milan, S.E.
dc.contributor.author	Carter, J.A.
dc.contributor.author	Maggiolo, R.
dc.date	2015
dc.date.accessioned	2016-03-24T10:07:59Z
dc.date.available	2016-03-24T10:07:59Z
dc.identifier.uri	https://orfeo.belnet.be/handle/internal/2712
dc.description	Transpolar arcs and cusp spots are both auroral phenomena which occur when the interplanetary magnetic field is northward. Transpolar arcs are associated with magnetic reconnection in the magnetotail, which closes magnetic flux and results in a “wedge” of closed flux which remains trapped, embedded in the magnetotail lobe. The cusp spot is an indicator of lobe reconnection at the high-latitude magnetopause; in its simplest case, lobe reconnection redistributes open flux without resulting in any net change in the open flux content of the magnetosphere. We present observations of the two phenomena interacting—i.e., a transpolar arc intersecting a cusp spot during part of its lifetime. The significance of this observation is that lobe reconnection can have the effect of opening closed magnetotail flux. We argue that such events should not be rare.
dc.language	eng
dc.title	The interaction between transpolar arcs and cusp spots
dc.type	Article
dc.subject.frascati	Physical sciences
dc.audience	Scientific
dc.source.title	Geophysical Research Letters
dc.source.volume	42
dc.source.issue	22
dc.source.page	9685-9693
Orfeo.peerreviewed	Yes
dc.identifier.doi	10.1002/2015GL066194
dc.identifier.scopus	2-s2.0-84949844646