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Fractal approach to the description of the auroral region

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Abstract

The plasma of the auroral region, where energetic particles precipitate from the magnetosphere into the ionosphere, is highly inhomogeneous and nonstationary. In this case, traditional methods of classical plasma physics turn out to be inapplicable. In order to correctly describe the dynamic regimes, transition processes, fluctuations, and self-similar scalings in this region, nonlinear dynamics methods based of the concepts of fractal geometry and percolation theory can be used. In this work, the fractal geometry and percolation theory are used to describe the spatial structure of the ionospheric conductivity. The topological properties, fractal dimensions, and connective indices characterizing the structure of the Pedersen and Hall conductivities on the nightside auroral zone are investigated theoretically. The restrictions imposed on the fractal estimates by the condition of ionospheric current percolation are analyzed. It is shown that the fluctuation scalings of the electric fields and auroral glow observed in the auroral zone fit well the restrictions imposed by the critical condition on the percolation of the Pedersen current. Thus, it is demonstrated that the fractal approach is a promising and convenient method for studying the properties of the ionosphere.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya ul. 84/32, Moscow, 117997, Russia

    A. A. Chernyshov & M. M. Mogilevsky

  2. Polar Geophysical Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Akademgorodok 26a, Apatity, Murmansk oblast, 184209, Russia

    B. V. Kozelov

Authors
  1. A. A. Chernyshov
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  2. M. M. Mogilevsky
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  3. B. V. Kozelov
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Correspondence to A. A. Chernyshov.

Additional information

Original Russian Text © A.A. Chernyshov, M.M. Mogilevsky, B.V. Kozelov, 2013, published in Fizika Plazmy, 2013, Vol. 39, No. 7, pp. 636–646.

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Chernyshov, A.A., Mogilevsky, M.M. & Kozelov, B.V. Fractal approach to the description of the auroral region. Plasma Phys. Rep. 39, 562–571 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063780X13060020

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063780X13060020

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