Magnetospheric chaos and dynamical complexity response during storm time disturbance

Abstract. In this study, we examine the magnetospheric chaos and dynamical complexity response in the disturbance storm time (Dst) and solar wind electric field (VBs) during different categories of geomagnetic storm (minor, moderate and major geomagnetic storm). The time series data of the Dst and VBs are analyzed for the period of nine years using nonlinear dynamics tools (Maximal Lyapunov Exponent, MLE, Approximate Entropy, ApEn and Delay Vector Variance, DVV). We found a significant trend between each nonlinear parameter and the categories of geomagnetic storm. The MLE and ApEn values of the Dst indicate that chaotic and dynamical complexity response are high during minor geomagnetic storms, reduce at moderate geomagnetic storms and declined further during major geomagnetic storms. However, the MLE and ApEn values obtained in VBs indicate that chaotic and dynamical complexity response are high with no significant difference between the periods that are associate with minor, moderate and major geomagnetic storms. The test for nonlinearity in the Dst time series during major geomagnetic storm reveals the strongest nonlinearity features. Based on these findings, the dynamical features obtained in the VBs as input and Dst as output of the magnetospheric system suggest that the magnetospheric dynamics is nonlinear and the solar wind dynamics is consistently stochastic in nature.