Theoretical Study of Polar Cap Arcs: Time-Dependent Model and Its Applications

Authors

Lie Zhu, Utah State UniversityFollow
Jan Josef Sojka, Utah State UniversityFollow
Robert W. Schunk, Utah State UniversityFollow
D. J. Crain, Utah State University

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Radio Science

Volume

29

Issue

1

Publisher

American Geophysical Union

Publication Date

1994

First Page

283

Last Page

292

Abstract

A time-dependent theoretical model of polar cap arcs developed during the Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions/High-Latitude Plasma Structures (CEDAR/HLPS) campaigns in the past two years is briefly described. In the model the electrodynamics of the polar cap arcs are treated self-consistently in the frame of the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere system. The preliminary simulation results of the temporal evolution and spatial structure of the polar cap arcs for both winter and summer conditions are presented. The model can be used to conduct both the model-observation study of specific features of the polar cap arcs and the quantitative theoretical study of typical or average features of the arcs. Several potential specific applications of the model to the polar cap arc phenomenon are also discussed in the paper.

Comments

Originally published by the American Geophysical Union. Note: this article appears in Radio Science.

Recommended Citation

Zhu, L., J. J. Sojka, R. W. Schunk, and D. J. Crain (1994), Theoretical study of polar cap arcs: Time-dependent model and its applications, Radio Sci., 29(1), 283–292, doi:10.1029/93RS01508.