Double dayside detached auroras: TIMED/GUVI observations

doi:doi:10.1029/2003GL018949

Abstract

Y. Zhang

The Johns Hopkins Univ. Applied Physics Lab., Laurel, USA

L. J. Paxton

The Johns Hopkins Univ. Applied Physics Lab., Laurel, USA

C.-I. Meng

The Johns Hopkins Univ. Applied Physics Lab., Laurel, USA

D. Morrison

The Johns Hopkins Univ. Applied Physics Lab., Laurel, USA

B. Wolven

The Johns Hopkins Univ. Applied Physics Lab., Laurel, USA

H. Kil

The Johns Hopkins Univ. Applied Physics Lab., Laurel, USA

A. B. Christensen

The Aerospace Corp., Los Angeles, USA

On August 19, 2003, TIMED/GUVI detected, for the first time, two separated (double) dayside detached auroras (D-DDA) simultaneously in all the GUVI channels, 121.6 nm, 135.6 nm, LBHS, and LBHL. The D-DDA was located at magnetic latitudes around −57° and −63° (L shell 3.4 and 4.9) in the 0900–1030 MLT region. The high-latitude part of the D-DDA is much brighter than the low-latitude part. DMSP particle observation indicates that the source of the D-DDA is energetic (∼10 keV) precipitating protons/electrons from the ring current due to the solar wind dynamic pressure enhancements [ Zhang et al., 2002 ] and/or northward turning of the IMF B_z. Observations of the D-DDA provide the first single-event evidence of multiple peaks in the statistical distribution of proton fluxes at energetic around and below 10 keV at low L-shells [ Milillo et al., 2001 ].

Received 29 October 2003; accepted 28 April 2004; published 20 May 2004.

Citation: Zhang, Y., L. J. Paxton, C.-I. Meng, D. Morrison, B. Wolven, H. Kil, and A. B. Christensen (2004), Double dayside detached auroras: TIMED/GUVI observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L10801, doi:10.1029/2003GL018949.

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