Equatorial aurora: the aurora-like airglow in the negative magnetic anomaly
Equatorial aurora: the aurora-like airglow in the negative magnetic anomaly作者机构:Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics Institute of Geology and Geophysics Chinese Academy of Sciences College of Earth and Planetary Sciences University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
出 版 物:《National Science Review》 (国家科学评论(英文版))
年 卷 期:2020年第7卷第10期
页 面:1606-1615页
核心收录:
学科分类:070802[理学-空间物理学] 07[理学] 0708[理学-地球物理学]
基 金:supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA17010201) the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41525016) the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2017258) the Key Research Program of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics,CAS (IGGCAS-201904)
主 题:aurora geomagnetic field South Atlantic Anomaly negative magnetic anomaly energetic particles
摘 要:The most fantastic optical phenomena in the Earth’s upper atmosphere are the auroras. They are highly informative indicators of solar activity, geomagnetic activity, upper atmospheric structures and dynamics,and magnetospheric energetic particles. An area where the geomagnetic field differs significantly from the expected symmetric dipole, such as at the South Atlantic Anomaly, where the magnetic field intensity is low,gives rise to stronger precipitation of energetic particles into the upper atmosphere. Impact excitation and the subsequent airglow emissions exhibit aurora-like dynamic signatures. Nomenclatures of nonpolar aurora or equatorial auroras are similar to those used with the polar auroras owing to their similar excitation mechanisms. This paper provides an overview of the knowledge and the challenges concerning auroral activity at the South Atlantic Anomaly, or more generally, at the negative magnetic anomaly. We emphasize systematic investigation of the equatorial auroras to reveal the temporal and spatial evolution of the magnetic anomaly and the behaviour of energetic particles in near-Earth space.