Inductive electric fields in the Ionosphere‐Magnetosphere System

Abstract

In recent years, there has been increasing awareness of the importance of large‐scale electric fields in the earth's magnetosphere. Much attention has been directed to the quasi‐static electric field associated with charge separations generated by solar wind‐magnetosphere interaction, but these seem inadequate to explain many important processes. This paper reviews the evidence for the inclusion of electric fields of inductive origin, i.e., those due to time‐dependent currents in the magnetosphere‐ionosphere system. Attention is focused on processes associated with magnetospheric substorms, as they are well characterized by various types of evidence and do involve events such as energetic particle precipitation which require explanation beyond that provided by static electric field models. It is found that inductive electric fields are significant at times and should be included for a proper description of observed events.

Space Weather Effects Produced by the Ring Current Particles

“…There are still open questions regarding this process, especially, for storm times, such as, whether substorm-associated magnetic field variations and the associated (inductive) electric fields are necessary for the buildup of the ring current energy density. While there are arguments that large-scale convection alone can account for the ring current increase, other studies have concluded that energization of ring current particles to energies over 100 keV requires smaller-scale, timevarying electric fields (see one of the earliest studies on this subject by Kim et al 1979 and more recent reviews by Daglis and Kozyra 2002;Ebihara and Ejiri 2003;Kozyra and Liemohn 2003;Ebihara and Miyoshi 2011;Bourdarie et al 2016;Ebihara 2016 and references therein).…”

Impact of seasonal variations on low and mid-latitudes ionospheric electric field satellite measurements

“…Due to the difference in ion and electron mobility, charge separation generates the static ionospheric electric field. This field is further influenced by the timedependent electric field of inductive origin associated with magnetosphere-ionosphere currents [12]. Thus, this field is influenced by various factors such as solar wind, Earth's magnetic field, and atmospheric winds.…”