Using high temporal resolution optical data obtained from three-wavelength all-sky imagers at Chinese Yellow River Station in the Arctic, together with the EISCAT Svalbard radar (ESR) and SuperDARN radars, we investigated the dayside poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs) and the associated plasma features in the polar ionosphere under different interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions, between 0900 and 1010 UT on 22 December 2003. Simultaneous optical and ESR observations revealed that all PMAFs were clearly associated with pulsed particle precipitations. During northward IMF, particles can precipitate into lower altitudes and reach the ionospheric E-region, and there is a reverse convection cell associated with these PMAFs. This cell is one of the typical signatures of the dayside high-latitude (lobe) reconnection in the polar ionosphere. These results indicate that the PMAFs were associated with the high-latitude reconnection. During southward IMF, the PMAFs show larger latitudinal motion, indicating a longer mean lifetime, and the associated ionospheric features indicate that the PMAFs were generated by the dayside low-latitude reconnection.
Poleward moving auroral forms （PMAFs） are statistically investigated by using 6 winters continues high-quality...
Z. Y. Xing 1,2 H. G. Yang 2 D. S. Han 2 Z. S. Wu1 Z. J. Hu2 Q. H. Zhang2 H. Q. Hu2 B. C. Zhang2 J. M. Liu2 and D. H. Huang2 1. School of Science, Xidian University, Xi''an, China, 710071. 2. SOA Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, China, 200136.
Using high temporal resolution optical data obtained from three-wavelength all-sky imagers over six winters continuously at Yellow River Station (78.92°N,11.93°E) in Arctic,we statistically investigated the dependence of location of poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs) on the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) B z and B y components as a function of MLT and MLAT under stable IMF conditions.It is found that more PMAFs occurred in lower latitude for Bz<0 and there was less evident IMF B y-related prenoon-postnoon asymmetry for Bz<0 than for Bz>0.We found that the PMAFs were distributed over a wide range of MLT when Bz<0,which indicates that the reconnection X-line might spread like an 'S' shape.However,during northward IMF,PMAFs were observed predominantly prenoon for IMF By>0 and postnoon for IMF By<0 associating with the effect of the high-latitude reconnection,which is largely consistent with the theoretical model of the convection flow.
