| 1. |
- Nakamura, R., et al.
(författare)
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Flow bouncing and electron injection observed by Cluster
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 2169-9380. ; 118:5, s. 2055-2072
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Characteristics of particles and fields in the flow-bouncing region are studied based on multipoint observations from Cluster located at 13-15R(E) downtail during a substorm event around 12:50 UT on 7 September 2007. The Cluster spacecraft were separated by a distance of up to 10,000 km and allowed to determine the mesoscale evolution of the current sheet as well as the development of the dipolarization front. We show that the flow bouncing took place associated with a tailward-directed j x B force in a disturbed current sheet in addition to an enhanced tailward pressure gradient force. Multiple Earthward propagating dipolarization fronts accompanied by enhanced flux of energetic electrons were observed before the flow bouncing. The sequence of events started with a localized dipolarization front and ended with a large scale (>10R(E)) dipolarization front accompanied by a major increase in energetic electrons at all spacecraft and immediately followed by flow bouncing. Multiple dipolarization fronts result in the formation of compressed magnetic field with a plasma bulge bounded by thin ion-scale current layers, a favorable condition for flow bouncing. These observations suggest that to understand the flow bouncing and related acceleration of plasma in the near-Earth tail, both the large-scale MHD properties and the transient and small-scale effect of the plasma interaction with the Earth-dipole field need to be taken into account.
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| 2. |
- Apatenkov, S. V., et al.
(författare)
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Multi-spacecraft observation of plasma dipolarization/injection in the inner magnetosphere
- 2007
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Ingår i: Annales Geophysicae. - 0992-7689 .- 1432-0576. ; 25:3, s. 801-814
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Addressing the origin of the energetic particle injections into the inner magnetosphere, we investigate the 23 February 2004 substorm using a favorable constellation of four Cluster (near perigee), LANL and Geotail spacecraft. Both an energy-dispersed and a dispersionless injection were observed by Cluster crossing the plasma sheet horn, which mapped to 9-12 R-E in the equatorial plane close to the midnight meridian. Two associated narrow equatorward auroral tongues/streamers propagating from the oval poleward boundary could be discerned in the global images obtained by IMAGE/WIC. As compared to the energy-dispersed event, the dispersionless injection front has important distinctions consequently repeated at 4 spacecraft: a simultaneous increase in electron fluxes at energies similar to 1.300 keV, similar to 25 nT increase in B-Z and a local increase by a factor 1.5-1.7 in plasma pressure. The injected plasma was primarily of solar wind origin. We evaluated the change in the injected flux tube configuration during the dipolarization by fitting flux increases observed by the PEACE and RAPID instruments, assuming adiabatic heating and the Liouville theorem. Mapping the locations of the injection front detected by the four spacecraft to the equatorial plane, we estimated the injection front thickness to be similar to 1 R-E and the earthward propagation speed to be similar to 200-400km/s (at 9-12 RE). Based on observed injection properties, we suggest that it is the underpopulated flux tubes (bubbles with enhanced magnetic field and sharp inner front propagating earthward), which accelerate and transport particles into the strong-field dipolar region.
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