第124回 地球電磁気・地球惑星圏学会 総会・講演会(2008年)
○伊藤祐毅(東京大学)、浅村和史(ISAS/JAXA)、坂野井健(東北大学)、海老原祐輔(名古屋大学)、 山崎敦(ISAS/JAXA)、小淵保幸(ジェネシア)、平原聖文(東京大学)、藤本正樹(ISAS/JAXA)
Reimei satellite observes that optical fine-scale structures in auroral arcs often
drift toward arc-aligned direction. In northern hemisphere, most of the structures in
poleward arc move eastward, and those of equatorward arc move westward. These directions
are consistent with directions of ExB drift, when U-shaped potential structure is assumed
above the arcs. However, precise mechanisms lead by the ExB drift produces the movement of
auroral arcs is still unclear.
On the other hand, electron acceleration in field-aligned direction due to inertial Alfven
waves(IAW) is considered to be one of mechanisms to generate fine-scale optical auroral
emissions. And numerical simulations show that IAW can make energytime dispersions of
precipitating electrons. We selected events of the electron energy-time dispersions from
Reimei data set and examined drift directions of the auroral arcs at geomagnetic footprint.
We will present results of statistical analysis on the plasma structures related with the IAW
and corresponding optical auroral emissions. More than 70% of the selected period, which
contains electron energy-time dispersions, has auroral arcs with fast flow of fine-scale
structures at the footprint. When acceleration altitude is estimated with the energy-time
dispersions, source altitudes of electrons are calculated to be 1400-6200km. Furthermore
we calculated the velocity vector of optical fine-scale structures in auroral arcs by using
cross-correlation method. Calculated velocities are 5-25km/s, which are much faster than
typical drift velocity of ionospheric plasmas. Instead, these velocities are approximately
agree with the order of ExB drift speed at the source region, indicating that the flows
are produced by plasma motions in the source region.