Auroral Spiral Structure Formation Through Magnetic Reconnection in the Auroral Acceleration Region

Abstract

Auroral spiral is one of the auroral vortex structures. Here, we propose a model to explain the formation of auroral spiral structure based on three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. In our model, an auroral arc develops through precipitations of electrons accelerated during magnetic reconnection in the auroral acceleration region. The arc morphology at low altitudes can be modified by electron-scale magnetic flux ropes, which are generated through secondary oblique tearing modes in the intensified current sheet along one particular branch of the primary reconnection separatrices. The resulting vortex structures agree well with high-resolution observations of auroral spirals. We find that the rotational sense of these spirals is determined by electron kinetic processes and controlled by the guide field direction. Our study further suggests that when the field-aligned length of the auroral acceleration region is shorter than a critical length, these auroral spiral structures will not form.