The auroral signature of earthward flow bursts observed in the magnetotail

We present direct evidence that transient Earthward flow bursts in the magnetotail can produce an observable signature in the optical aurora. This signature is north‐south aligned auroral structures that are extensions of transient intensifications near the poleward boundary of the auroral oval. Our study focuses on the period from 0500 to 0700 UT on January 7, 1997, during which five distinct flow bursts are observed in the Geotail data. At …