Downward auroral currents from the reconnection Hall-region

TL;DR

This paper proposes a simple, collisionless reconnection-based model explaining the generation of downward auroral currents and associated electric fields, aligning with observed ionospheric phenomena during substorms.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism linking Hall currents in the reconnection region to localized electric potentials that drive auroral currents.

Findings

Hall magnetic field confinement creates localized electromotive forces.

Positive electromotive force causes upward electron flow during substorms.

Model explains the flanking of upward currents by narrow downward currents.

Abstract

We present a simple (stationary) mechanism capable of generating the auroral downward field-aligned electric field {that is} needed for {accelerating the ionospheric electron component up into the magnetosphere and confining the ionospheric ions at low latitudes (as is required by observation of an ionospheric cavity in the downward auroral current region). The lifted ionospheric electrons carry the downward auroral current. Our model is based on the assumption of collisionless reconnection in the tail current sheet. It makes use of the dynamical difference between electrons and ions in the ion inertial region surrounding the reconnection {\sf X}-line which causes Hall currents to flow. We show that the spatial confinement of the Hall magnetic field and flux to the ion inertial region centred on the {\sf X}-point generates a spatially variable electromotive force which is positive near the outer inflow boundaries of the ion inertial region and negative in the central inflow region. Looked {at} from the ionosphere it functions like a localised meso-scale electric potential.} The positive electromotive force gives rise to upward electron flow from the ionosphere {during substorms (causing `black aurorae')}. A similar positive potential is identified on the earthward side of the fast reconnection outflow region which has the same effect, explaining the observation that auroral upward currents are flanked from both sides by narrow downward currents. keywords{Field-aligned auroral currents, parallel fields, Hall field in reconnection, substorms}