LFM Simulation of the AE Index

The Auroral Electrojet Index, AE, is designed to provide a global, quantitative measure of auroral zone magnetic activity produced by enhanced ionospheric currents flowing in the auroral oval. The Lyon-Fedder-Mobbary (LFM) MHD simulation of the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction ,driven by L1 solar wind data, allows us to simulate events on a global scale. The results of the LFM MHD simulations of the ionosphere are used to calculate the deviation from the quiet time values of the magnetic field around the auroral oval, providing an AE index. We will present several such simulated events and compare the results to actual AE data.