North-south asymmetry of ultra-low-frequency oscillations of Earth’s electromagnetic field

Abstract

In the paper, we present the result of an experimental study of north-south asymmetry of ultralow-frequency electromagnetic oscillations IPCL. This study is based on observations made at Mirny Observatory (Antarctica). IPCLs are excited in the dayside sector of the auroral oval in the range 3–10 min periods and represent one of the most powerful types of oscillations of Earth's magnetosphere. These oscillations were discovered in the 1970s during IPhE AS USSR polar expeditions organized by Prof. V.A. Troitskaya. We have shown that IPCL activity in Mirny depends on the inclination (north-south asymmetry) of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) lines to the plane of the geomagnetic equator before the front of the magnetosphere. The result suggests a controlling exposure of IMF on the magnetospheric oscillations and gives rise to the hypothesis that IPCL are forced oscillations of a nonlinear dynamical system whose major structural elements are dayside polar cusps. The paper is dedicated to the memory of Professor V.A. Troitskaya (1917–2010).

Keywords

• magnetosphere
• solar wind
• geomagnetic pulsations
• interplanetary magnetic field
• Antarctica