| 1. |
- Burch, J. L., et al.
(författare)
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Electron-scale measurements of magnetic reconnection in space
- 2016
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Ingår i: Science. - : AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE. - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 352:6290, s. 1189-
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process in plasmas whereby stored magnetic energy is converted into heat and kinetic energy of charged particles. Reconnection occurs in many astrophysical plasma environments and in laboratory plasmas. Using measurements with very high time resolution, NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission has found direct evidence for electron demagnetization and acceleration at sites along the sunward boundary of Earth's magnetosphere where the interplanetary magnetic field reconnects with the terrestrial magnetic field. We have (i) observed the conversion of magnetic energy to particle energy; (ii) measured the electric field and current, which together cause the dissipation of magnetic energy; and (iii) identified the electron population that carries the current as a result of demagnetization and acceleration within the reconnection diffusion/dissipation region.
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| 2. |
- Frey, H U, et al.
(författare)
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Freja and ground-based analysis of inverted-V events
- 1998
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Ingår i: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS. - 0148-0227. ; 103:A3, s. 4303-4314
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During two campaigns, ground-based auroral observations were performed in coordination with Freja. The high temporal and spatial resolution of the satellite instruments as well as the real-time recording with a stereoscopic camera system from the ground enabled detailed comparison of small- and large-scale optical phenomena with particle and field data measured by the satellite. Three passes of the satellite over inverted-V auroral arcs and over precipitation regions with strong field-aligned electron spectra are investigated. Brightness modulations within auroral arcs coincide with modulations of primary electron fluxes. The dynamics of small-scale structures within arcs as well as the proper motion of arcs are analyzed and compared with electric fields measured by the satellite and with BARS radar measurements. Energy fluxes independently determined from the ground and from the satellite are used to calculate the field-aligned conductance. The results agree with predictions of the kinetic theory of the mirror force, if we allow for variations of the density and thermal energy of the electrons in the source region of the magnetosphere. Detailed comparison of electron spectra and electric and magnetic field perturbations provide evidence of different acceleration mechanisms for the electrons, electrostatic acceleration inside inverted-V's, and wave acceleration in transient regions.
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| 3. |
- Knudsen, D. J., et al.
(författare)
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Sub-kilometer thermal plasma structure near 1750 km altitude in the polar cusp/cleft
- 1994
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Ingår i: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276. ; 21:17, s. 1907-1910
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present Freja Cold Plasma Analyzer (CPA) measurements from an encounter with the low altitude (approx.1750 km) polar cusp during which the CPA measured 2-D images of the thermal (0-16 eV) particle distributions at 1.2 s time resolution, and simultaneously made rapid estimates (600/s) of integrated thermal particle flux into the instrument. The high resolution data show bursty ion flux enhancements of the order of tens of percent on time scales of tens of ms, or alternatively, hundreds of m spatial scales. The flux of electrons from 0-16 eV also varied by tens of percent and on temporal/spatial scales comparable to those in the ion cases. There is some evidence that the thermal particle flux variations are associated with intense low-frequency electromagnetic fluctuations with temporal/spatial scales identical to those seen by the CPA (tens of ms. hundreds of m).
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