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PC Index as a Ground-Based Indicator of the Solar Wind Energy Incoming into the Magnetosphere: (2) Relation of PC Index to Magnetic Disturbances

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Abstract

The paper summarizes the issues related to relationships between the PC index and magnetic disturbances: threshold level of the PC index required for the disturbances beginning, delay time in response of magnetic substorms and storms to the PC index growth, relation of PC index to magnetospheric field-aligned currents in course of substorm, different types of magnetic substorms (isolated, expanded, delayed, sawtooth) and magnetic storms (classic, pulsed and composite) and their relation to different regularities in the PC index alterations, linear dependence of the substorm and storm intensities on value of the preceding of PC index, special features of magnetic activity in the winter and summer polar caps, variations of PC index and magnetic disturbances in course of the 23/24 solar activity cycles. New aspects that have arisen due to the PC index application are concerned with the threshold-dependent mode of the substorm development and regular repeateness of sawtooth substorms occurring under conditions of steady powerful EKL field. The experimental results examined in the paper are indicative that the PC index serves as an indicator of the solar wind energy which comes in the magnetosphere and then realizes in the form of magnetosphere disturbances. This paper follows the review of Troshichev (Front Astron Space Sci 9:1069470, 2022), where the relationships between the solar wind electric field EKL and PC index have been examined.

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Acknowledgements

The definitive PCN and PCS indices are presented at websites (http://pcindex.org) and (http://isgi.unistra.fr) The solar wind and IMF data were obtained from the GSFC/SPDYNF OMNI/Web interface at (http://omniweb.gsfc.nasa.gov) The AE and Dst indices were provided by WDC-C2 Kyoto (http://wdc.kugi.kyoto-u.ac.jp/wdc/cresample.html). The Solar UV Irradiance data are presented on site (https://lasp.colorado.edu/lisird/data/lasp_gsfc_composite_ssi/). Information on ICME and SIR(CIR)-driven magnetic storms was taken from Catalogue of ICMEs (I. Richardson and H. Cane, 2015) and List of Stream Interaction Regions Observed by STEREO A/B (L. Jian, 2015).

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Troshichev, O.A. PC Index as a Ground-Based Indicator of the Solar Wind Energy Incoming into the Magnetosphere: (2) Relation of PC Index to Magnetic Disturbances. Surv Geophys 45, 55–82 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-023-09799-4

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