| 1. |
- Forsyth, C., et al.
(författare)
-
In situ spatiotemporal measurements of the detailed azimuthal substructure of the substorm current wedge
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. - 2169-9380. ; 119:2, s. 927-946
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The substorm current wedge (SCW) is a fundamental component of geomagnetic substorms. Models tend to describe the SCW as a simple line current flowing into the ionosphere toward dawn and out of the ionosphere toward dusk, linked by a westward electrojet. We use multispacecraft observations from perigee passes of the Cluster 1 and 4 spacecraft during a substorm on 15 January 2010, in conjunction with ground-based observations, to examine the spatial structuring and temporal variability of the SCW. At this time, the spacecraft traveled east-west azimuthally above the auroral region. We show that the SCW has significant azimuthal substructure on scales of 100km at altitudes of 4000-7000km. We identify 26 individual current sheets in the Cluster 4 data and 34 individual current sheets in the Cluster 1 data, with Cluster 1 passing through the SCW 120-240s after Cluster 4 at 1300-2000km higher altitude. Both spacecraft observed large-scale regions of net upward and downward field-aligned current, consistent with the large-scale characteristics of the SCW, although sheets of oppositely directed currents were observed within both regions. We show that the majority of these current sheets were closely aligned to a north-south direction, in contrast to the expected east-west orientation of the preonset aurora. Comparing our results with observations of the field-aligned current associated with bursty bulk flows (BBFs), we conclude that significant questions remain for the explanation of SCW structuring by BBF-driven wedgelets. Our results therefore represent constraints on future modeling and theoretical frameworks on the generation of the SCW.
|
|
| 2. |
- Nakamura, R., et al.
(författare)
-
Low- altitude electron acceleration due to multiple flow bursts in themagnetotail
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 41:3, s. 777-784
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- At 10:00 UT on 25 February 2008, Cluster 1 spacecraft crossed the near-midnight auroral zone, at about 2R(E) altitude, while two of the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms (THEMIS) spacecraft, THD and THE, observed multiple flow bursts on the near-conjugate plasma sheet field lines. The flow shear pattern at THEMIS was consistent with the vortical motion at duskside of a localized flow channel. Coinciding in time with the flow bursts, Cluster 1 observed bursts of counterstreaming electrons with mostly low energies (441eV), accompanied by short time scale (<5s) magnetic field disturbances embedded in flow-associated field-aligned current systems. This conjugate event not only confirms the idea that the plasma sheet flows are the driver of the kinetic Alfven waves accelerating the low-energy electrons but is a unique observation of disturbances in the high-altitude auroral region relevant to the multiple plasma sheet flows. Key Points First observation of multiple flow signatures on near-conjugate flux tubes Low-energy electron profile suggests Alfvenic acceleration due to fast flow Multiple flow bursts are obtained to extend over large radial distance in tail
|
|
