Are drivers of northern lights in the ionosphere?

Abstract. We modeled an auroral arc as a negatively charged solitary potential area created by incident energetic electrons in the polar ionosphere. Those negative potential structures are often called ion holes wherein trapped electron populations are denser at the center than at the rim. When an ion hole becomes a sheet-like structure (auroral arc), shear flows are generated in the arc at a right angle to the arc alignment. Shear flows develop twist motion of the sheet into spiral auroras. To maintain spiral motions in the aurora, electron beams follow the auroral motion. This conjunction infers that ion hole in the collisional ionosphere is auroral driver itself.