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Abstract Solar wind directional discontinuities, such as rotational discontinuities (RDs), significantly influence energy and transport processes in the Earth's magnetosphere. A recent observational study identified a long‐lasting double cusp precipitation event associated with RD in solar wind on 10 April 2015. To understand the magnetosphere‐ionosphere response to the solar wind RD, a global hybrid simulation of the magnetosphere was conducted, with solar wind conditions based on the observation event. The simulation results show significant variations in the magnetopause and cusp regions caused by the passing RD. After the RD propagates to the magnetopause, ion precipitation intensifies, and a double cusp structure at varying latitudes and longitudes forms near noon in the northern hemisphere, which is consistent with the satellite observations by Wing et al. (2023,https://doi.org/10.1029/2023gl103194). Regarding dayside magnetopause reconnection, the simulation reveals that the high‐latitude reconnection process persists during the RD passing, regardless of whether the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) with a highB_y/B_zratio has a positive or negativeB_zcomponent, and low‐latitude reconnection occurs after the RD reaches the magnetopause at noon when the IMF turns southward. By examining the ion sources along the magnetic field lines, a connection is found between the single‐ or double‐cusp ion precipitation and the solar wind ions entering from both high‐latitude and low‐latitude reconnection sites. This result suggests that the double‐cusp structure can be triggered by magnetic reconnection occurring at both low latitudes and high latitudes in the opposite hemispheres, associated with a largeB_y/B_zratio of the IMF around the RD. 

Abstract Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are commonly observed in the Earth's magnetosphere and play a significant role in regulating relativistic electron fluxes. The waveform of EMIC waves comprises amplitude‐modulated wave packets, known as “subpackets.” Despite their prevalence, the underlying physics and associated particle dynamics for subpacket formation remain poorly understood. In this study, using Van Allen Probe A observations, we present several rising‐tone EMIC wave events to reveal the downward frequency chirping between adjacent subpackets. By performing a hybrid simulation, we demonstrate for the first time that these wave properties are associated with the oscillation of proton holes in the wave gyrophase space induced by cyclotron resonance. The oscillation modulates the energy transfer between waves and particles, establishing a direct link between subpacket formation in cyclotron waves and nonlinear wave‐particle interactions. This new understanding advances our knowledge of subpacket formation in general and its broader implications in space plasma physics. 

Abstract We conduct a global hybrid simulation of an observation event to affirm that an interplanetary (IP) shock can drive significant suprathermal (tens to hundreds of eV) H⁺outflows from the polar cap. The event showed that a spacecraft in the lobe at ∼6.5 R_Ealtitude above the polar cap observed the appearance of suprathermal outflowing H⁺ions about 8 min after observing enhanced downward DC Poynting fluxes caused by the shock impact. The simulation includes H⁺ions from both the solar wind and the ionospheric sources. The cusp/mantle region can be accessed by ions from both sources, but only the outflow ions can get into the lobe. Despite that upward flowing solar wind ions can be seen within part of the cusp/mantle region and their locations undergo large transient changes in response to the magnetosphere compression caused by the shock impact, the simulation rules out the possibility that the observed outflowing H⁺ions was due to the spacecraft encountering the moving cusp/mantle. On the other hand, the enhanced downward DC Poynting fluxes caused by the shock impact drive more upward suprathermal outflows, which reach higher altitudes a few minutes later, explaining the observed time delay. Also, these simulated outflowing ions become highly field‐aligned in the upward direction at high altitudes, consistent with the observed energy and pitch‐angle distributions. This simulation‐observation comparison study provides us the physical understanding of the suprathermal outflow H⁺ions coming up from the polar cap. 

Abstract To better understand how sharp changes in the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field conditions affect the ionosphere outflows at high latitudes, we analyze an event observed on 17 July 2002 showing suprathermal (tens to hundreds of eV) outflowing H⁺ions in the lobe driven by the impact of an interplanetary (IP) shock. A spacecraft in the lobe at altitudes of ∼6.5R_Efirst observed enhanced downward DC Poynting fluxes ∼2 min after the shock impact and then, another 8 min later, the appearance of suprathermal outflowing H⁺ions as ion beams and ion conics. The increasing downward DC Poynting fluxes and the increasing outflowing H⁺fluxes that appeared later were highly correlated because they shared a similar increasing trend with a time scale of ∼5 min. To explain such time delay and correlation, we conclude that a plausible scenario was that the enhanced DC Poynting fluxes reached down to lower altitudes, drove processes to accelerate the pre‐existing polar wind ions to ion beams and ion conics, and then these newly generated suprathermal ions flowed upward to the spacecraft altitudes. This event indicates that an IP shock can drive a significant amount of suprathermal H⁺outflows from the polar cap. 

Abstract To understand the entry of the cool low‐latitude mantle ions into the tail plasma sheet near the flanks under persistent interplanetary magnetic field B_y, we evaluate the role of the cross‐field diffusive transport by kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) by investigating two events observed by multiscale (MMS) spacecraft. Around the separatrix between the open and closed field‐line regions, a two‐component mixing of hot plasma sheet ions of a few keV with cool mantle ions of a few hundred eV was observed, indicating transport across the separatrix. The waves observed between 0.01 and 10 Hz around the separatrix had characteristics consistent with those of KAWs. The consistency allowed us to estimate the wave vectors as a function of frequency by fitting KAW dispersion to the observations. Using the observed wave powers, plasma moments, and the estimated wave vectors, we computed the cross‐field diffusion rates associated with KAWs. The diffusion rates were found to be comparable to or larger than the Bohm diffusion rates during the intervals when the two‐component mixing was observed, indicating that the KAW diffusive transport can play a role in the entry of low‐latitude mantle ions into the plasma sheet. 

Key Points Enhancement of field‐aligned warm ions observed in the plasma sheet was energy‐dispersive with increasing energy from 20 eV to >100 eV The probe at larger r observed the energy‐dispersive enhancements 20 min earlier than did the probe at smaller r The enhancements were likely caused by enhanced convection and the dispersion was likely due to acceleration by field‐aligned potential 

Abstract Enhancement of currents in Earth's ionosphere adversely impacts systems and technologies, and one example of extreme enhancement is supersubstorms. Despite the name, whether a supersubstorm is a substorm remains an open question, because studies suggest that unlike substorms, supersubstorms sometimes affect all local times including the dayside. The spectacular May 2024 storm contains signatures of two supersubstorms that occurred successively in time with similar magnitude and duration, and we explore the nature of them by examining the morphology of the auroral electrojet, the corresponding disturbances in the magnetosphere, and the solar wind driving conditions. The results show that the two events exhibit distinctly different features. The first event was characterized by a locally intensified electrojet followed by a rapid expansion in latitude and local time. Auroral observations showed poleward expansion of auroras (or aurorae), and geosynchronous observations showed thickening of the plasma sheet, magnetic field dipolarization, and energetic particle injections. The second event was characterized by an instantaneous intensification of the electrojet over broad latitude and local time. Auroras did not expand but brightened simultaneously across the sky. Radar and LEO observations showed enhancement of the ionospheric electric field. Therefore, the first event is a substorm, whereas the second event is enhancement of general magnetospheric convection driven by a solar wind pressure increase. These results illustrate that the so‐called supersubstorms have more than one type of driver, and that internal instability in the magnetotail and external driving of the solar wind are equally important in driving extreme auroral electrojet activity. 

Abstract Dawnside auroral polarization streams (DAPS) are fast eastward flows in the dawn convection cell of Earth's ionosphere. With a steep flow gradient near the interface between Region 1 and 2 currents and a peak poleward of it, DAPS were suggested to be responsible for instabilities and dramatic events in the magnetosphere‐ionosphere (M‐I) system. To predict these events, it is important to investigate when and where DAPS prefer to occur and how they are related to other M‐I phenomena. We conduct this investigation statistically using 10 years of Swarm data and find that DAPS under sunlit and dark ionospheric conditions exhibit different dependencies on magnetic local times and geomagnetic activities, reflecting a complicated interplay between magnetotail dynamics and ionospheric conductance. The statistical results also reveal a strong correlation between DAPS and embedded Region 2 currents. These findings provide new insights into the DAPS generation mechanism. 

Abstract Based on the predictions of global 3D hybrid simulations, we present a new transport/acceleration path for escaped O⁺ions in the upstream solar wind region resulting from the impact of a particular IMF tangential discontinuity (TD) with negative (positive) IMFB_zon the discontinuity's anti‐sunward (sunward) side. For O⁺ions escaping to the duskside magnetosheath and with gyro‐radii larger than the TD thickness, when they encounter the TD, they can first go sunward into the upstream solar wind. They then gyrate clockwise to the pre‐noon side and get accelerated within the solar wind region and circulate back to the dawnside magnetosphere. These ions may be accelerated to well within the ring current energy range depending on the solar wind electric field strength. This new transport/acceleration path can bring some of the escaped ions into the inner magnetosphere, thus providing a new mechanism for generating an O⁺ring current population.