Particle-fluid simulation of the auroral current
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The incompatibility between stationary kinetic and dynamic fluid descriptions of auroral electron acceleration has been an outstanding problem in space physics for decades. In this study we introduce a new numerical simulation model that provides a unified picture by including electron temperature variations consistent with collisionless kinetic theory in the fluid description. We demonstrate that this new particle-fluid model can describe the partial reflection of Alfven waves from the acceleration region, as well as the formation of a field-aligned potential drop proportional to the upward current. The model also enables comparisons between the electron distributions predicted by the simulations and satellite observations of electrons in the acceleration region.
Created 2006-05-16 08:07:47 by Mats Holmström Last changed 2006-08-17 09:51:52 by Mats Holmström
