Magnetosphere sawtooth oscillations induced by ionospheric outflow

The sawtooth mode of convection of Earth's magnetosphere is a 2- to 4-hour planetary-scale oscillation powered by the solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere (SW-M-I) interaction. Using global simulations of geospace, we have shown that ionospheric O⁺ outflows can generate sawtooth oscillations. As the outflowing ions fill the inner magnetosphere, their pressure distends the nightside magnetic field. When the outflow fluence exceeds a threshold, magnetic field tension cannot confine the accumulating fluid; an O⁺-rich plasmoid is ejected, and the field dipolarizes. Below the threshold, the magnetosphere undergoes quasi-steady convection. Repetition and the sawtooth period are controlled by the strength of the SW-M-I interaction, which regulates the outflow fluence.

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Copyright 2011 Author(s)s. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science [332, (3 June 2011)], doi:10.1126/science.1202869.
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Author Brambles, O.
Lotko, W.
Zhang, B.
Wiltberger, Michael
Lyon, J.
Strangeway, R.
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2011-06-03T00:00:00
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Not Assigned
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Topic Category geoscientificInformation
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Metadata Date 2025-07-17T14:47:27.243081
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:18165
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Brambles, O., Lotko, W., Zhang, B., Wiltberger, Michael, Lyon, J., Strangeway, R.. (2011). Magnetosphere sawtooth oscillations induced by ionospheric outflow. UCAR/NCAR - Library. https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d75m678n. Accessed 31 July 2025.

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