Fig. 7

Numerical simulation of convective instability in the Peruvian sector under equinox conditions. Columns at left and right depict conditions at 2300 UT and 0100 UT, respectively. The top panels depict ion number density in the equatorial plane, with red, green, and blue tones representing molecular ions, atomic oxygen ions, and hydrogen ions, respectively. The middle panels depict equipotential curves in the equatorial plane superimposed on vector current densities which can be interpreted using the color wheel. Full scale here is 15 nA/m\(^2\). The bottom panels depict current density in the meridional plane. Full scale is 150 nA/m\(^2\). The coordinates (p, q) used here and in subsequent figures refer to magnetic dipole coordinates, where p is the McIlwain L value and q parameterizes the displacement parallel to the field (e.g., Swisdak 2006). At the dip equator (i.e., \(q=0\)), the p-values shown correspond to altitudes between approximately 100-575 km (as in the top and middle panels). At 100 km altitude, the q-values shown correspond to magnetic latitudes between \(\pm 15^\circ\). Lines of constant altitude are roughly parabolic in \(p-q\) space