| 1. |
- Pedersen, A., et al.
(författare)
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Electron density estimations derived from spacecraft potential measurements on Cluster in tenuous plasma regions
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 113:A7, s. A07S33-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Spacecraft potential measurements by the EFW electric field experiment on the Cluster satellites can be used to obtain plasma density estimates in regions barely accessible to other type of plasma experiments. Direct calibrations of the plasma density as a function of the measured potential difference between the spacecraft and the probes can be carried out in the solar wind, the magnetosheath, and the plasmashere by the use of CIS ion density and WHISPER electron density measurements. The spacecraft photoelectron characteristic ( photoelectrons escaping to the plasma in current balance with collected ambient electrons) can be calculated from knowledge of the electron current to the spacecraft based on plasma density and electron temperature data from the above mentioned experiments and can be extended to more positive spacecraft potentials by CIS ion and the PEACE electron experiments in the plasma sheet. This characteristic enables determination of the electron density as a function of spacecraft potential over the polar caps and in the lobes of the magnetosphere, regions where other experiments on Cluster have intrinsic limitations. Data from 2001 to 2006 reveal that the photoelectron characteristics of the Cluster spacecraft as well as the electric field probes vary with the solar cycle and solar activity. The consequences for plasma density measurements are addressed. Typical examples are presented to demonstrate the use of this technique in a polar cap/lobe plasma.
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| 2. |
- Apatenkov, S. V., et al.
(författare)
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Conjugate observation of sharp dynamical boundary in the inner magnetosphere by Cluster and DMSP spacecraft and ground network
- 2008
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Ingår i: Annales Geophysicae. - 0992-7689 .- 1432-0576. ; 26:9, s. 2771-2780
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigate an unusual sharp boundary separating two plasma populations (inner magnetospheric plasma with high fluxes of energetic particles and plasma sheet) observed by the Cluster quartet near its perigee on 16 December 2003. Cluster was in a pearl-on-string configuration at 05:00 MLT and mapped along magnetic field lines to similar to 8-9 R-E in the equatorial plane. It was conjugate to the MIRACLE network and the DMSP F16 spacecraft passed close to Cluster footpoint. The properties of the sharp boundary, repeatedly crossed 7 times by five spacecraft during similar to 10 min, are: (1) upward FAC sheet at the boundary with similar to 30 nA/m(2) current density at Cluster and similar to 2000 nA/m(2) at DMSP; (2) the boundary had an embedded layered structure with different thickness scales, the electron population transition was at similar to 20 km scale at Cluster (<7 km at DMSP), proton population had a scale similar to 100 km, while the FAC sheet thickness was estimated to be similar to 500 km at Cluster (similar to 100 km at DMSP); (3) the boundary propagated in the earthward-eastward direction at similar to 8 km/s in situ (equatorward-eastward similar to 0.8 km/s in ionosphere), and then decelerated and/or stopped. We discuss the boundary formation by the collision of two different plasmas which may include dynamical three-dimensional field-aligned current loops.
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| 3. |
- 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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| 4. |
- Chen, Li-Jen, et al.
(författare)
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Evidence of an extended electron current sheet and its neighboring magnetic island during magnetotail reconnection
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 113:A12, s. A12213-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have identified a spatially extended electron current sheet (ECS) and its adjacent magnetic island during a magnetotail reconnection event with no appreciable guide field. This finding is based on data from the four Cluster spacecraft and is enabled by detailed maps of electron distribution functions and DC electric fields within the diffusion region. The maps are developed using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations with a mass ratio m(i)/m(e) = 800. One spacecraft crossed the ECS earthward of the reconnection null and, together with the other three spacecraft, registered the following properties: (1) The ECS is colocated with a layer of bipolar electric fields normal to the ECS, pointing toward the ECS, and with a half width less than 8 electron skin depths. (2) In the inflow region up to the ECS and separatrices, electrons have a temperature anisotropy (Te-parallel to/Te-perpendicular to > 1), and the anisotropy increases toward the ECS. (3) Within about 1 ion skin depth (d(i)) above and below the ECS, the electron density decreases toward the ECS by a factor of 3-4, reaching a minimum at edges of the ECS, and has a local distinct maximum at the ECS center. (4) A di-scale magnetic island is attached to the ECS, separating it from another reconnection layer. Our simulations established that the electric field normal to the ECS is due to charge imbalance and is of the ECS scale, and ions exhibit electron-scale structures in response to this electric field.
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| 5. |
- Marchaudon, A., et al.
(författare)
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Simultaneous double star and cluster ftes observations on the dawnside flank of the magnetosphere
- 2006
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Ingår i: Eur Space Agency Spec Publ ESA SP. - 929092909X - 9789290929093 ; , s. 163-170
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present Cluster and Double Star-1 (TC-1) observations from a close magnetic conjunction on May 8, 2004. The five spacecraft were on the dawnside flank of the magnetosphere, with TC-1 located near the equatorial plane and Cluster at higher geographic latitudes in the southern hemisphere. TC-1, at its apogee, skimmed the magnetopause for almost 8 hours (between 08:00-16:00 UT). Flux Transfer Events (FTEs), moving southward/tailward from the reconnection site, were observed by TC-1 throughout almost all of the period. Cluster, travelling on a mainly dawn-dusk trajectory, crossed the magnetopause at around 10:30 UT in the same Magnetic Local Time (MLT) sector as TC-1 and remained close to the magnetopause boundary layer in the southern hemisphere. The four Cluster spacecraft observed FTEs for a period of 6.5 hours between 07:30 and 14:00 UT. From the properties of these FTEs, the reconnection site was located northward of both TC-1 and Cluster on the dawn flank of the magnetosphere. Reconnection occurred between draped magnetosheath and closed magnetospheric field lines. Despite variable interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions and IMF-B z turnings, the IMF clock-angle remained greater than 70° and the location site appeared to remain relatively stable in position during the whole period. This result is in agreement with previous studies which reported that the dayside reconnection remained active for an IMF clock-angle greater than 70°. The simultaneous observation of FTEs at both Cluster and TC-1, separated by 2 hours in MLT, implies that the reconnection site on the magnetopause must have been extended over several hours in MLT. This event has been already presented in more details in [1].
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| 6. |
- Pedersen, A., et al.
(författare)
-
Electron density estimations derived from spacecraft potential measurements on Cluster in tenuous plasma regions
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 113:A7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Spacecraft potential measurements by the EFW electric field experiment on the Cluster satellites can be used to obtain plasma density estimates in regions barely accessible to other type of plasma experiments. Direct calibrations of the plasma density as a function of the measured potential difference between the spacecraft and the probes can be carried out in the solar wind, the magnetosheath, and the plasmashere by the use of CIS ion density and WHISPER electron density measurements. The spacecraft photoelectron characteristic ( photoelectrons escaping to the plasma in current balance with collected ambient electrons) can be calculated from knowledge of the electron current to the spacecraft based on plasma density and electron temperature data from the above mentioned experiments and can be extended to more positive spacecraft potentials by CIS ion and the PEACE electron experiments in the plasma sheet. This characteristic enables determination of the electron density as a function of spacecraft potential over the polar caps and in the lobes of the magnetosphere, regions where other experiments on Cluster have intrinsic limitations. Data from 2001 to 2006 reveal that the photoelectron characteristics of the Cluster spacecraft as well as the electric field probes vary with the solar cycle and solar activity. The consequences for plasma density measurements are addressed. Typical examples are presented to demonstrate the use of this technique in a polar cap/lobe plasma.
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| 7. |
- Aikio, A. T., et al.
(författare)
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EISCAT and Cluster observations in the vicinity of the dynamical polar cap boundary
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Annales Geophysicae. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 0992-7689 .- 1432-0576. ; 26:1, s. 87-105
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The dynamics of the polar cap boundary and auroral oval in the nightside ionosphere are studied during late expansion and recovery of a substorm from the region between Tromso (66.6 degrees cgmLat) and Longyearbyen (75.2 degrees cgmLat) on 27 February 2004 by using the coordinated EISCAT incoherent scatter radar, MIRACLE magnetometer and Cluster satellite measurements. During the late substorm expansion/early recovery phase, the polar cap boundary (PCB) made zig-zag-type motion with amplitude of 2.5 degrees cgmLat and period of about 30 min near magnetic midnight. We suggest that the poleward motions of the PCB were produced by bursts of enhanced reconnection at the near-Earth neutral line (NENL). The subsequent equatorward motions of the PCB would then represent the recovery of the merging line towards the equilibrium state (Cowley and Lockwood, 1992). The observed bursts of enhanced westward electrojet just equatorward of the polar cap boundary during poleward expansions were produced plausibly by particles accelerated in the vicinity of the neutral line and thus lend evidence to the Cowley-Lockwood paradigm. During the substorm recovery phase, the footpoints of the Cluster satellites at a geocentric distance of 4.4 R-E mapped in the vicinity of EISCAT measurements. Cluster data indicate that outflow of H+ and O+ ions took place within the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) as noted in some earlier studies as well. We show that in this case the PSBL corresponded to a region of enhanced electron temperature in the ionospheric F region. It is suggested that the ion outflow originates from the F region as a result of increased ambipolar diffusion. At higher altitudes, the ions could be further energized by waves, which at Cluster altitudes were observed as BBELF (broad band extra low frequency) fluctuations. The four-satellite configuration of Cluster revealed a sudden poleward expansion of the PSBL by 2 degrees during similar to 5 min. The beginning of the poleward motion of the PCB was associated with an intensification of the downward FAC at the boundary. We suggest that the downward FAC sheet at the PCB is the high-altitude counterpart of the Earthward flowing FAC produced in the vicinity of the magnetotail neutral line by the Hall effect (Sonnerup, 1979) during a short-lived reconnection pulse.
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| 8. |
- Chen, Li-Jen, et al.
(författare)
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Observation of energetic electrons within magnetic islands
- 2008
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Ingår i: Nature Physics. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1745-2473 .- 1745-2481. ; 4:1, s. 19-23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Magnetic reconnection is the underlying process that releases impulsively an enormous amount of magnetic energy(1) in solar flares(2,3), flares on strongly magnetized neutron stars(4) and substorms in the Earth's magnetosphere(5). Studies of energy release during solar flares, in particular, indicate that up to 50% of the released energy is carried by accelerated 20-100 keV suprathermal electrons(6-8). How so many electrons can gain so much energy during reconnection has been a long-standing question. A recent theoretical study suggests that volume-filling contracting magnetic islands formed during reconnection can produce a large number of energetic electrons(9). Here we report the first evidence of the link between energetic electrons and magnetic islands during reconnection in the Earth's magnetosphere. The results indicate that energetic electron fluxes peak at sites of compressed density within islands, which imposes a new constraint on theories of electron acceleration.
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| 9. |
- Kullen, A., et al.
(författare)
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Plasma transport along discrete auroral arcs and its contribution to the ionospheric plasma convection
- 2008
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Ingår i: Annales Geophysicae. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 0992-7689 .- 1432-0576. ; 26:11, s. 3279-3293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The role of intense high-altitude electric field (E-field) peaks for large-scale plasma convection is investigated with the help of Cluster E-field, B-field and density data. The study covers 32 E-field events between 4 and 7 R-E geocentric distance, with E-field magnitudes in the range 500 1000 mV/m when mapped to ionospheric altitude. We focus on E-field structures above the ionosphere that are typically coupled to discrete auroral arcs and their return current region. Connected to such E-field peaks are rapid plasma flows directed along the discrete arcs in opposite directions on each side of the arc. Nearly all the E-field events occur during active times. A strong dependence on different substorm phases is found: a majority of intense E-field events appearing during substorm expansion or maximum phase are located on the night-side oval, while most recovery events occur on the dusk-to-dayside part of the oval. For most expansion and maximum phase cases, the average background plasma flow is in the sunward direction. For a majority of recovery events, the flow is in the anti-sunward direction. The net plasma flux connected to a strong E-field peak is in two thirds of the cases in the same direction as the background plasma flow. However, in only one third of the cases the strong flux caused by an E-field peak makes an important contribution to the plasma transport within the boundary plasma sheet. For a majority of events, the area covered by rapid plasma flows above discrete arcs is too small to have an effect on the global convection. This questions the role of discrete auroral arcs as major driver of plasma convection.
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| 10. |
- 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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