Abstract
It is suggested that if the solar wind-magnetosphere energy coupling, represented in first approximation by the coupling function \( {\rm{\varepsilon ( = V}}{{\rm{B}}^{\rm{2}}}{\rm{ si}}{{\rm{n}}^{\rm{4}}}{\rm{ }}\frac{{\rm{\theta }}}{2}{\rm{ }}{\ell _{\rm{o}}}^2) \), increases above about ~ 1018 erg/sec, the magnetosphere suddenly develops a more efficient energy dissipation process than that operating during periods of ε < 1018 erg/sec. It appears that the magnetosphere achieves this enhanced energy dissipation by interrupting the cross-tail current in the magnetotail and diverting it into the ionosphere, causing an enhanced Joule heat production in the ionosphere. The good correlation between ε and the total energy dissipated in the magnetosphere suggests that the substorm is more like a process directly driven by the solar wind, rather than an unloading process of energy accumulated prior to the onset.
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Akasofu, SI. (1979). What is a Magnetospheric Substorm?. In: Akasofu, SI. (eds) Dynamics of the Magnetosphere. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 78. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9519-2_23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9519-2_23
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