7 research outputs found
The Earth: Plasma Sources, Losses, and Transport Processes
This paper reviews the state of knowledge concerning the source of magnetospheric plasma at Earth. Source of plasma, its acceleration and transport throughout the system, its consequences on system dynamics, and its loss are all discussed. Both observational and modeling advances since the last time this subject was covered in detail (Hultqvist et al., Magnetospheric Plasma Sources and Losses, 1999) are addressed
Structure of the separatrix region close to a magnetic reconnection X-line : Cluster observations.
We use Cluster spacecraft observations to study in detail the structure of a magnetic reconnection separatrix region on the magnetospheric side of the magnetopause about 50 ion inertial lengths away from the X-line. The separatrix region is the region between the magnetic separatrix and the reconnection jet. It is several ion inertial lengths wide and it contains a few subregions showing different features in particle and wave data. One subregion, a density cavity adjacent to the separatrix, has strong electric fields, electron beams and intense wave turbulence. The separatrix region shows structures even at smaller scales, for example, solitary waves at Debye length scale. We describe in detail electron distribution functions and electric field spectra in the separatrix region and we compare them to a numerical simulation. Our observations show that while reconnection is ongoing the separatrix region is highly structured and dynamic in the electric field even if the X-line is up to 50 ion inertial lengths away
Evidence for an extended reconnection line at the dayside magnetopause
We report in-situ detection by two spacecraft of oppositely directed jets of plasma emanating from a magnetic
reconnection site at the Earth’s dayside magnetopause, confirming a key element inherent in all reconnection
scenarios. The dual-spacecraft (Equator-S and Geotail) observations at the flank magnetopause, together with
SuperDARNHalley radar observations of the subsolar cusp region, reveal the presence of a rather stable and extended
reconnection line which lies along the equatorial magnetopause. These observations were made under persistent
southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions, implying that under these conditions the reconnection sites
are determined by the large-scale interactions between the solar wind magnetic field and the dayside magnetosphere,
rather than by local conditions at the magnetopause. Control by local conditionswould result in patchy reconnection, distributed in a less well-organized fashion over the magnetopause surface
The Earth: Plasma Sources, Losses, and Transport Processes
International audienceThis paper reviews the state of knowledge concerning the source of magnetospheric plasma at Earth. Source of plasma, its acceleration and transport throughout the system, its consequences on system dynamics, and its loss are all discussed. Both observational and modeling advances since the last time this subject was covered in detail (Hultqvist et al., Magnetospheric Plasma Sources and Losses, 1999) are addressed