Nature of Pi1B pulsations as inferred from ground and satellite observations

The occurrence of Pi1B pulsations is well-documented, including the fact that these pulsations can be observed both on the ground and at geosynchronous orbit at substorm onset, although information about their propagation characteristics has been lacking. In this paper, data are presented from FAST, GOES 9 and various ground stations that show the simultaneous observations of Pi1B pulsations in association with an onset. While the data at GOES 9 show that the pulsations are compressional in nature, data from FAST show the presence of shear mode waves, implying that Pi1B mode conversion of some type must take place in the region between geosynchronous orbit and FAST altitudes. An additional point is that Pi1B pulsations apparently propagate through auroral phenomena routinely, begging the question of what role they may play.