Comparing current paradigms in pulsating aurora models

The electrodynamics of pulsating aurora remain a relatively unaddressed question. A previous model by Oguti and Hayashi (1984) presents a 2-D view of the electrodynamics associated with an idealized pulsating auroral patch. The impacts of field aligned currents and polarization electric fields were examined in this model. However, more recent observations by SWARM and sounding rockets have suggested an important role of field aligned currents. In addition, unlike in discrete auroras, a pulsating aurora is a strongly time-varying ionospheric environment. This study aims to use the Geospace Environment Model of Ion-Neutral Interactions (or GEMINI) to expand upon the previous results of Oguti by investigating a wide parameter space of possible pulsating aurora current structures. While previous work focused on validating theoretical assumptions about field-aligned current arrangements and electron density peaks, new work has been done modeling hypothetical variations on those assumptions, including the strength of field-aligned currents, the gradient and smoothness of precipitation strength in auroral patches, and the overall electric field. The output of these simulations was then compared with observations from ground-based magnetometer data and radar observations to look for similarities and differences that could be used to better understand which paradigms are closer to reality. These models provide useful boundary conditions for guiding future analysis of pulsating aurora data.