Characteristics and Cause of Localized Auroral Uv Emission At High Latitude

The FUV instrument on IMAGE frequently observes localized ultraviolet emission at high latitudes, poleward of the general auroral oval. These localized emissions occur during northward IMF conditions and there are two different types of them. One type is especially distinct in the observations of Doppler shifted Lyman alpha emission from proton precipitation. This type occurs during high solar wind dynamic pressure. We interpret this emission as the optical signature of proton precipitation into the cusp after lobe reconnection at the magnetopause. The second type of localized emission is distinct in the wide-band (WIC) and oxygen (SI13) images, but is absent in the proton images. This emission occurs during positive IMF By, but very low solar wind density and dynamic pressure. We interpret this emission as the optical signature of electron acceleration in the upward part of a field aligned current circuit after reconnection.