Swarm and ESR observations of the ionospheric response to a field‐aligned current system in the high‐latitude midnight sector

• Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
• Main Authors: Pitout, F, Marchaudon, Aurélie, Blelly, P.-L, ‐l, Bai, X, Forme, F, Buchert, S, C, Lorentzen, D, A
• Other Authors: Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2015
• Subjects: [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP]; [SDU.ASTR.SR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Solar and Stellar Astrophysics [astro-ph.SR]; [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-SPACE-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Space Physics [physics.space-ph]; Langmuir; Svalbard
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03166294; https://hal.science/hal-03166294/document; https://hal.science/hal-03166294/file/Pitout-et-al_2015_grl53038.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1002/2015gl064231

International audience We present a conjunction between the Swarm fleet and the European Incoherent Scatter Svalbard Radar (ESR) on 9 January 2014. The Swarm orbit in the early phase of the mission gives us the unique opportunity of sequencing the temporal evolution of the observed field-aligned current system in the nightside, near magnetic local midnight. These field-aligned currents are seen to move poleward through the radar field of view and to affect the observed ionosphere. The upward field-aligned current (FAC) is responsible, at least in part, for the heating of the ionospheric electrons. It is less clear whether the downward FAC cools the ionosphere. We use the TRANSCAR model of the ionosphere to quantify the thermoelectric effect that comes into play. Finally, we compare the plasma parameters measured by the Langmuir probe on board Swarm and the ESR and conclude on an agreement within the errors.