SAPS-Associated Explosive Brightening on the Duskside: A New Type of Onset-Like Disturbance

Abstract

Quasiperiodic energetic particle injections have been observed at geosynchronous orbit on the duskside during a steady magnetospheric convection event. We examine high-resolution auroral imager data and ground magnetometer data associated with the first of these injections and conclude that it was not associated with classical substorm signatures. It is proposed that these injections are caused by the explosive nonlinear growth of a shear flow-ballooning instability in the region where subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) also occur. It is suggested that interchange will occur preferentially in the low-conductivity SAPS region since the magnetic Richardson number is lowest there and the “line-tying” effect will also be least stabilizing there. We propose that the observed particle injection signatures and auroral morphology constitute a new type of SAPS-associated explosive “onset-like” disturbance that can occur during intervals of strong convection.