The Wave-Like Auroral Structure around Auroral Expansion Onset

We present the direct connection between the wave-like auroral structure around the time of auroral expansion onset and the ballooning mode waves in the near-Earth magnetotail. Based on the NASA mission time history of events and macroscale interactions during substorms (THEMIS) ground-based all-sky imagers, we show that around the time of auroral expansion onset, a wave-like auroral structure first has four luminosity peaks separated by 2–3° magnetic longitude (MLON). Subsequently, the wave-like structure propagates in the azimuthal direction and an overall bright arc spans approximately 1 h magnetic local time. The wavelength is estimated to be 120–180 km. Finally, a noticeable poleward auroral expansion is observed. The ballooning mode waves are identified by two THEMIS probes in the near-Earth magnetotail. The observed wavelength of the ballooning mode waves is approximately equal to the order of the ion Larmor radius. The wavelength of 1500–3000 km in the near-Earth magnetotail is comparable with the wave-like auroral structure estimate. This study suggests that the ballooning mode waves might play a crucial role in auroral expansion onset, corresponding to the wave-like auroral structure in this study.