| 1. |
- Wild, J. A., et al.
(författare)
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Midnight sector observations of auroral omega bands
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 116, s. A00I30-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present observations of auroral omega bands on 28 September 2009. Although generally associated with the substorm recovery phase and typically observed in the morning sector, the features presented here occurred just after expansion phase onset and were observed in the midnight sector, dawnward of the onset region. An all-sky imager located in northeastern Iceland revealed that the omega bands were similar to 150 x 200 km in size and propagated eastward at similar to 0.4 km s(-1) while a colocated ground magnetometer recorded the simultaneous occurrence of Ps6 pulsations. Although somewhat smaller and slower moving than the majority of previously reported omega bands, the observed structures are clear examples of this phenomenon, albeit in an atypical location and unusually early in the substorm cycle. The THEMIS C probe provided detailed measurements of the upstream interplanetary environment, while the Cluster satellites were located in the tail plasma sheet conjugate to the ground-based all-sky imager. The Cluster satellites observed bursts of 0.1-3 keV electrons moving parallel to the magnetic field toward the Northern Hemisphere auroral ionosphere; these bursts were associated with increased levels of field-aligned Poynting flux. The in situ measurements are consistent with electron acceleration via shear Alfven waves in the plasma sheet similar to 8 R-E tailward of the Earth. Although a one-to-one association between auroral and magnetospheric features was not found, our observations suggest that Alfven waves in the plasma sheet are responsible for field-aligned currents that cause Ps6 pulsations and auroral brightening in the ionosphere. Our findings agree with the conclusions of earlier studies that auroral omega bands have a source mechanism in the midtail plasma sheet.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, L., et al.
(författare)
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New Features of Electron Phase Space Holes Observed by the THEMIS Mission
- 2009
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 102:22, s. 225004-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Observations of electron phase-space holes (EHs) in Earth's plasma sheet by the THEMIS satellites include the first detection of a magnetic perturbation (delta B-parallel to) parallel to the ambient magnetic field (B-0). EHs with a detectable delta B-parallel to have several distinguishing features including large electric field amplitudes, a magnetic perturbation perpendicular to B-0, high speeds (similar to 0.3c) along B-0, and sizes along B-0 of tens of Debye lengths. These EHs have a significant center potential (Phi similar to k(B)T(e)/e), suggesting strongly nonlinear behavior nearby such as double layers or magnetic reconnection.
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| 3. |
- Ergun, R. E., et al.
(författare)
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Observations of Double Layers in Earth's Plasma Sheet
- 2009
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 102:15, s. 155002-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the first direct observations of parallel electric fields (E-parallel to) carried by double layers (DLs) in the plasma sheet of Earth's magnetosphere. The DL observations, made by the THEMIS spacecraft, have E-parallel to signals that are analogous to those reported in the auroral region. DLs are observed during bursty bulk flow events, in the current sheet, and in plasma sheet boundary layer, all during periods of strong magnetic fluctuations. These observations imply that DLs are a universal process and that strongly nonlinear and kinetic behavior is intrinsic to Earth's plasma sheet.
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| 4. |
- Eriksson, S., et al.
(författare)
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Magnetic island formation between large-scale flow vortices at an undulating postnoon magnetopause for northward interplanetary magnetic field
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 114:2, s. A00C17-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms multispacecraft observations are presented for a similar to 2-h-long postnoon magnetopause event on 8 June 2007 that for the first time indicate that the trailing (sunward) edges of Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) waves are commonly related to small-scale < 0.56 R-E magnetic islands or flux transfer events (FTE) during the growth phase of these surface waves. The FTEs typically show a characteristic bipolar B-N structure with enhanced total pressure at their center. Most of the small-scale FTEs are not related to any major plasma acceleration. TH-A observations of one small FTE at a transition from the low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL) into a magnetosheath plasma depletion layer were reconstructed using separate techniques that together confirm the presence of a magnetic island within the LLBL adjacent to the magnetopause. The island was associated with a small plasma vortex and both features appeared between two large-scale (similar to 1 R-E long and 2000 km wide) plasma vortices. We propose that the observed magnetic islands may have been generated from a time-varying reconnection process in a low ion plasma beta (beta(i) < 0.2) and low 8.3 degrees field shear environment at the sunward edge of the growing KH waves where the local magnetopause current sheet may be compressed by the converging flow of the large-scale plasma vortices as suggested by numerical simulations of the KH instability.
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| 5. |
- Johansson, T., et al.
(författare)
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Observation of an inner magnetosphere electric field associated with a BBF-like flow and PBIs
- 2009
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Ingår i: Annales Geophysicae. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 0992-7689 .- 1432-0576. ; 27:4, s. 1489-1500
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Themis E observed a perpendicular (to the magnetic field) electric field associated with an Earthward plasma flow at XGSM=-9.6 R-E on 11 January 2008. The electric field observation resembles Cluster observations closer to Earth in the auroral region. The fast plasma flow shared some characteristics with bursty bulk flows (BBFs) but did not meet the usual criteria in maximum velocity and duration to qualify as one. Themis C observed the same flow further downtail but Themis D, separated by only 1 R-E in azimuthal direction from Themis E, did not. At the time of the electric field and ion flow event, the all-sky imager and ground-based magnetometer at Rankin Inlet observed Poleward Boundary Intensifications (PBIs) and a negative bay signature. None of the other Themis ground-based observatories recorded any significant auroral or magnetic field activity, indicating that this was a localized activity. The joint Themis in situ and ground-based observations suggest that the two observations are related. This indicates that auroral electric fields can extend to regions much farther out than previously seen in Cluster observations.
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| 6. |
- Tao, J. B., et al.
(författare)
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A model of electromagnetic electron phase-space holes and its application
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 116, s. A11213-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electron phase-space holes (EHs) are indicators of nonlinear activities in space plasmas. Most often they are observed as electrostatic signals, but recently Andersson et al. [2009] reported electromagnetic EHs observed by the THEMIS mission in the Earth's plasma sheet. As a follow-up to Andersson et al. [2009], this paper presents a model of electromagnetic EHs where the delta E x B(0) drift of electrons creates a net current. The model is examined with test-particle simulations and compared to the electromagnetic EHs reported by Andersson et al. [2009]. As an application of the model, we introduce a more accurate method than the simplified Lorentz transformation of Andersson et al. [2009] to derive EH velocity (v(EH)). The sizes and potentials of EHs are derived from v(EH), so an accurate derivation of v(EH) is important in analyzing EHs. In general, our results are qualitatively consistent with those of Andersson et al. [2009] but generally with smaller velocities and sizes.
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| 7. |
- Tao, J. B., et al.
(författare)
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Kinetic instabilities in the lunar wake : ARTEMIS observations
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 117, s. A03106-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS) mission is a new two-probe lunar mission derived from the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission. On 13 February 2010, one of the two probes, ARTEMIS P1 (formerly THEMIS-B), made the first lunar wake flyby of the mission. We present detailed analysis of the electrostatic waves observed on the outbound side of the flyby that were associated with electron beams. Halekas et al. (2011) derived a net potential across the lunar wake from observations and suggested that the net potential generated the observed electron beams and the electron beams in turn excited the observed electrostatic waves due to kinetic instabilities. The wavelengths and velocities of the electrostatic waves are estimated, using high-resolution electric field instrument data with cross-spectrum analysis and cross-correlation analysis. In general, the estimated wavelengths vary from a few hundred meters to a couple of thousand meters. The estimated phase velocities are on the order of 1000 km s(-1). In addition, we perform 1-D Vlasov simulations to help identify the mode of the observed electrostatic waves. We conclude that the observed electrostatic waves are likely on the electron beam mode branch.
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| 8. |
- Angelopoulos, V., et al.
(författare)
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First Results from the THEMIS Mission
- 2008
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Ingår i: Space Science Reviews. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0038-6308 .- 1572-9672. ; 141:1-4, s. 453-476
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- THEMIS was launched on February 17, 2007 to determine the trigger and large-scale evolution of substorms. During the first seven months of the mission the five satellites coasted near their injection orbit to avoid differential precession in anticipation of orbit placement, which started in September 2007 and led to a commencement of the baseline mission in December 2007. During the coast phase the probes were put into a string-of-pearls configuration at 100 s of km to 2 R-E along-track separations, which provided a unique view of the magnetosphere and enabled an unprecedented dataset in anticipation of the first tail season. In this paper we describe the first THEMIS substorm observations, captured during instrument commissioning on March 23, 2007. THEMIS measured the rapid expansion of the plasma sheet at a speed that is commensurate with the simultaneous expansion of the auroras on the ground. These are the first unequivocal observations of the rapid westward expansion process in space and on the ground. Aided by the remote sensing technique at energetic particle boundaries and combined with ancillary measurements and MHD simulations, they allow determination and mapping of space currents. These measurements show the power of the THEMIS instrumentation in the tail and the radiation belts. We also present THEMIS Flux Transfer Events (FTE) observations at the magnetopause, which demonstrate the importance of multi-point observations there and the quality of the THEMIS instrumentation in that region of space.
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