| 1. |
- Amata, E., et al.
(författare)
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Experimental study of nonlinear interaction of plasma flow with charged thin current sheets : 1. Boundary structure and motion
- 2006
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Ingår i: Nonlinear processes in geophysics. - 1023-5809 .- 1607-7946. ; 13:4, s. 365-376
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We study plasma transport at a thin magnetopause (MP), described hereafter as a thin current sheet (TCS), observed by Cluster at the southern cusp on 13 February 2001 around 20:01 UT. The Cluster observations generally agree with the predictions of the Gas Dynamic Convection Field (GDCF) model in the magnetosheath (MSH) up to the MSH boundary layer, where significant differences are seen. We find for the MP a normal roughly along the GSE x-axis, which implies a clear departure from the local average MP normal, a similar to 90 km thickness and an outward speed of 35 km/s. Two populations are identified in the MSH boundary layer: the first one roughly perpendicular to the MSH magnetic field, which we interpret as the "incident" MSH plasma, the second one mostly parallel to B. Just after the MP crossing a velocity jet is observed with a peak speed of 240 km/s, perpendicular to B, with M-A=3 and beta> 10 (peak value 23). The magnetic field clock angle rotates by 70 degrees across the MP. E-x is the main electric field component on both sides of the MP, displaying a bipolar signature, positive on the MSH side and negative on the opposite side, corresponding to a similar to 300 V electric potential jump across the TCS. The E x B velocity generally coincides with the perpendicular velocity measured by CIS; however, in the speed jet a difference between the two is observed, which suggests the need for an extra flow source. We propose that the MP TCS can act locally as an obstacle for low-energy ions (<350 eV), being transparent for ions with larger gyroradius. As a result, the penetration of plasma by finite gyroradius is considered as a possible source for the jet. The role of reconnection is briefly discussed. The electrodynamics of the TCS along with mass and momentum transfer across it are further discussed in the companion paper by Savin et al. (2006).
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| 2. |
- Duan, Suping, et al.
(författare)
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Oxygen Ions O+ Energized by Kinetic Alfven Eigenmode During Dipolarizations of Intense Substorms
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 2169-9380 .- 2169-9402. ; 122:11, s. 11256-11273
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Singly charged oxygen ions, O+, energized by kinetic Alfven wave eigenmode (KAWE) in the plasma sheet boundary layer during dipolarizations of two intense substorms, 10: 07 UT on 31 August 2004 and 18: 24 UT on 14 September 2004, are investigated by Cluster spacecraft in the magnetotail. It is found that after the beginning of the expansion phase of substorms, O+ ions are clearly energized in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field with energy larger than 1 keV in the near-Earth plasma sheet during magnetic dipolarizations. The pitch angle distribution of these energetic O+ ions is significantly different from that of O+ ions with energy less than 1 keV before substorm onset that is in the quasi-parallel direction along the magnetic field. The KAWE with the large perpendicular unipolar electric field, E-z similar to -20 mV/m, significantly accelerates O+ ions in the direction perpendicular to the background magnetic field. We present good evidences that O+ ion origin from the ionosphere along the magnetic field line in the northward lobe can be accelerated in the perpendicular direction during substorm dipolarizations. The change of the move direction of O+ ions is useful for O+ transferring from the lobe into the central plasma sheet in the magnetotail. Thus, KAWE can play an important role in O+ ion transfer process from the lobe into the plasma sheet during intense substorms.
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| 3. |
- Hasegawa, H., et al.
(författare)
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Kelvin-Helmholtz waves at the Earth's magnetopause : Multiscale development and associated reconnection
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 114:12, s. A12207-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We examine traversals on 20 November 2001 of the equatorial magnetopause boundary layer simultaneously at similar to 1500 magnetic local time (MLT) by the Geotail spacecraft and at similar to 1900 MLT by the Cluster spacecraft, which detected rolled-up MHD-scale vortices generated by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) under prolonged northward interplanetary magnetic field conditions. Our purpose is to address the excitation process of the KHI, MHD-scale and ion-scale structures of the vortices, and the formation mechanism of the low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL). The observed KH wavelength (>4 x 10(4) km) is considerably longer than predicted by the linear theory from the thickness (similar to 1000 km) of the dayside velocity shear layer. Our analyses suggest that the KHI excitation is facilitated by combined effects of the formation of the LLBL presumably through high-latitude magnetopause reconnection and compressional magnetosheath fluctuations on the dayside, and that breakup and/or coalescence of the vortices are beginning around 1900 MLT. Current layers of thickness a few times ion inertia length similar to 100 km and of magnetic shear similar to 60 degrees existed at the trailing edges of the vortices. Identified in one such current sheet were signatures of local reconnection: Alfvenic outflow jet within a bifurcated current sheet, nonzero magnetic field component normal to the sheet, and field-aligned beam of accelerated electrons. Because of its incipient nature, however, this reconnection process is unlikely to lead to the observed dusk-flank LLBL. It is thus inferred that the flank LLBL resulted from other mechanisms, namely, diffusion and/or remote reconnection unidentified by Cluster.
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| 4. |
- Hasegawa, H., et al.
(författare)
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Reconstruction of a bipolar magnetic signature in an earthward jet in the tail : Flux rope or 3D guide-field reconnection?
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 112:A11, s. A11206-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Southward-then-northward magnetic perturbations are often seen in the tail plasma sheet, along with earthward jets, but the generation mechanism of such bipolar B-z ( magnetic flux rope created through multiple X-line reconnection, transient reconnection, or else) has been controversial. At similar to 2313 UT on 13 August 2002, Cluster encountered a bipolar B-z at the leading edge of an earthward jet, with one of the four spacecraft in the middle of the current sheet. Application to this bipolar signature of Grad-Shafranov ( GS) reconstruction, the technique for recovery of two-dimensional ( 2D) magnetohydrostatic structures, suggests that a flux rope with diameter of similar to 2 R-E was embedded in the jet. To investigate the validity of the GS results, the technique is applied to synthetic data from a three-dimensional ( 3D) MHD simulation, in which a bipolar B-z can be produced through localized ( 3D) reconnection in the presence of guide field B-y ( Shirataka et al., 2006) without invoking multiple X-lines. A flux rope-type structure, which does not in fact exist in the simulation, is reconstructed but with a shape elongated in the jet direction. Unambiguous identification of a mechanism that leads to an observed bipolar B-z thus seems difficult based on the topological property in the GS maps. We however infer that a flux rope was responsible for the bipolar pulse in this particular Cluster event, because the recovered magnetic structure is roughly circular, suggesting a relaxed and minimum energy state. Our results also indicate that one has to be cautious about interpretation of some ( e. g., force-free, or magnetohydrostatic) model-based results.
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| 5. |
- Hasegawa, H., et al.
(författare)
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Retreat and reformation of X-line during quasi-continuous tailward-of-the-cusp reconnection under northward IMF
- 2008
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Ingår i: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 35:15, s. L15104-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present observations on 19-20 November 2006 by the Cluster spacecraft that were skimming the high-latitude dusk-flank magnetopause, which are consistent with more than one reconnection X-line present on the tailward side of the cusp under northward IMF. Evidence of quasi-continuous reconnection over 16 hours exists in the form of Alfvenic acceleration of magnetosheath ions found almost always when either of the satellites traversed the boundary. The data indicate that a dominant X-line was sunward of Cluster for most of the time, but ion velocity distributions consisting of two magnetosheath populations demonstrate that for part of the time, more than one X-line existed. Further, the motion of reconnected field lines shows that some X-line(s) retreated tailward. It is inferred that following the X-line retreat, another X-line reformed sunward of Cluster, leading tomultiple X-lines.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Laitinen, T. V., et al.
(författare)
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Local influence of magnetosheath plasma beta fluctuations on magnetopause reconnection
- 2010
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Ingår i: Annales Geophysicae. - : Copernicus Publications. - 0992-7689 .- 1432-0576. ; 28:5, s. 1053-1063
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present observations from two subsolar Cluster magnetopause crossings under southward interplanetary magnetic field and strong mirror mode fluctuations in the magnetosheath. In both events the reconnection outflow jets show strong variations on the timescale of one minute. We show that at least some of the recorded variations are truly temporal, not spatial. On the same timescale, mirror mode fluctuations appear as strong magnetic fluctuations in the magnetosheath next to the magnetopause. This suggests that mirror modes can cause the variations either through modulation of continuous reconnection or through triggering of bursty reconnection. Using a theoretical scaling law for asymmetric reconnection we show that modulation of reconnection at a single x-line can explain the observations of the first event. The second event cannot be explained by a single modulated x-line: there the evidence points to patchy and bursty reconnection.
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| 9. |
- Nakamura, R., et al.
(författare)
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Cluster observations of an ion-scale current sheet in the magnetotail under the presence of a guide field
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 113:A7, s. A07S16-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on Cluster observations of a thin current sheet interval under the presence of a strong vertical bar B-Y vertical bar during a fast earthward flow interval between 1655 UT and 1703 UT on 17 August 2003. The strong vertical bar B-Y vertical bar in the tail could be associated with a strong IMF vertical bar B-Y vertical bar, but the large fluctuations in B-Y, not seen in the IMF, suggest that a varying reconnection rate causes a varying transport of B-Y-dominated magnetic flux and/or a change in B-Y due to the Hall-current system. During the encounter of the high-speed flow, an intense current layer was observed around 1655: 53 UT with a peak current density of 182 nA/m(2), the largest current density observed by the Cluster four-spacecraft magnetic field measurement in the magnetotail. The half width of this current layer was estimated to be similar to 290 km, which was comparable to the ion-inertia length. Its unique signature is that the strong current is mainly field-aligned current flowing close to the center of the plasma sheet. The event was associated with parallel heating of electrons with asymmetries, which suggests that electrons moving along the field lines can contribute to a strong dawn-to-dusk current when the magnetotail current sheet becomes sufficiently thin and active in a strong guide field case.
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| 10. |
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