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Title: Redefining SAR Arc Generation: The Competing Roles of Magnetospheric and Ionospheric Energy Injection
Abstract Stable auroral red (SAR) arcs are luminous subauroral emissions produced by the collisional excitation of oxygen atoms during geomagnetically active times. While traditionally attributed to inner magnetospheric electron heating, recent observations and simulations challenge the exclusivity of this mechanism. Here, we resolve the ionospheric origin of SAR arcs using multi‐instrument observations and numerical simulations during the March 2015 geomagnetic storm. Both magnetospheric heat flux and ion‐neutral frictional heating, driven by subauroral plasma flows, independently generate SAR arcs with intensities surpassing background airglow by hundreds of Rayleighs. While thermal electron impact dominates red‐line emissions in both cases, the vertical structures diverge: frictional heating localizes emissions to altitudes of 250–400 km, whereas magnetospheric heating extends emissions above ∼280 km with broader altitudinal coverage. These results redefine SAR arc generation as a product of competing magnetospheric and ionospheric energy pathways, advancing our understanding of cross‐scale interactions in geospace.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2152365
PAR ID:
10660585
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley
Date Published:
Journal Name:
AGU Advances
Volume:
6
Issue:
6
ISSN:
2576-604X
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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