Sun et Lumière: Solar wind-magnetosphere coupling as deduced from ionospheric flows and polar auroras

Abstract

The Dungey (Phys. Rev. Lett. 6:47–48, 1961) open model of the magnetosphere, and especially its time-dependent form, the expanding/contracting polar cap (ECPC) paradigm, has provided an important theoretical framework within which to understand solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. This paper reviews the evidence supporting the open and ECPC models, and discusses developments that have arisen in the last 20 years, concentrating on the contributions made by measurements of the ionospheric convection pattern and global auroral imagery. Various magnetospheric phenomena are discussed within the context of the open model, including substorms, geomagnetic storms, steady magnetospheric convection, sawtooth events, cusp auroral spots, and transpolar arcs. The review concludes with a discussion of avenues for future research in the field of solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.