Asymmetry in the Earth's magnetotail neutral sheet rotation due to IMF B-y sign?

• Evidence suggests that a non-zero dawn-dusk interplanetary magnetic field (IMF B-y) can cause a rotation of the cross-tail current sheet/neutral sheet around its axis aligned with the Sun-Earth line in Earth's magnetotail. We use Geotail, THEMIS and Cluster data to statistically investigate how the rotation of the neutral sheet depends on the sign and magnitude of IMF B-y. In our dataset, we find that in the tail range of -30 < XGSM < -15 R-E, the degree of the neutral sheet rotation is clearly smaller, there appears no significant rotation or even, the rotation is clearly to an unexpected direction for negative IMF B-y, compared to positive IMF B-y. Comparison to a model by Tsyganenko et al. (2015, doi:10.5194/angeo-33-1-2015) suggests that this asymmetry in the neutral sheet rotation between positive and negative IMF B-y conditions is too large to be explained only by the currently known factors. The possible cause of the asymmetry remains unclear.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Fusion, plasma och rymdfysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Solar wind-magnetosphere interaction

Magnetosphere configuration

Magnetotail

Plasma sheet

Neutral sheet

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)