Reconstruction of global micropulsations in the magnetosphere

Abstract

The coupling of hydromagnetic Alfvén waves is studied numerically in a dipolc-field model of the magnetosphere. The two coupled hydromagnetic equations derived by Radoski are solved as an implicit boundary-value problem, namely the boundary conditions at the magnetopause are determined self-consistently. Thus the calculated wave-field distribution inside the magnetosphere can match all known linear characteristic features of the stormtime Pc5 waves observed on 14/15 November 1979 from satellites. A set of proper boundary conditions is found, excellent agreement between the numerical results and observations is demonstrated. Based on the very limited spatial coverage (L ≈ 6·6 and within a latitudinal region ( −10°, 10°)), of the data provided by the satellites, the theoretical model can successfully reconstruct the global micropulsations in the magnetosphere and identify the source regions of hydromagnetic waves.