Ergun, R. E., L. Andersson, D. S. Main, Y. J. Su, C. W. Carlson, J. P. McFadden, and F. S. Mozer, Parallel electric fields in the upward current region of the aurora: Indirect and direct observations, Physics of Plasmas, 9, 3685-3694 (2002) (ADS)
(click on the image for a larger version)
Date: 2010 April 21
Update: 2019 February 13
A wonderfully complicated view of the magnetospheric equivalent of a "footpoint" in a solar flare - to be compared with the Dennis-Gurman cartoon on the solar side. Another good comparison would be the Wedemeyer cartoon. These feeble solar efforts contain as much morphology but refer to much less physics. Solar theorists never seem to use many of the terms thought to be necessary here (I count about seven) to explain the aurora. Does this mean that the Sun does not have this kind of physics? That would be straining credulity. Does it mean that these phenomena are not needed really to understand the aurora? That would also strain credulity!