Structure of the near-Earth plasma sheet during tailward flows
oleh: A. Runov, A. Runov, I. Voronkov, Y. Asano, W. Baumjohann, M. Fujimoto, R. Nakamura, T. Takada, M. Volwerk, M. Volwerk, Z. Vörös, Z. Vörös, M. Meurant, A. Fazakerley, H. Rème, A. Balogh
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | Copernicus Publications 2008-03-01 |
Deskripsi
A detailed analysis of successive tailward flow bursts in the near-Earth magnetotail (<I>X</I>~−19 <I>R<sub>E</sub></I>) plasma sheet is performed on the basis of in-situ multi-point observations by the Cluster spacecraft on 15 September 2001. The tailward flows were detected during a northward IMF interval, 2.5 h after a substorm expansion. Each flow burst (<I>V<sub>x</sub></I><300 km/s) was associated with local auroral activation. Enhancements of the parallel and anti-parallel ~1 keV electron flux were detected during the flows. The spacecraft configuration enables to monitor the neutral sheet (<I>B<sub>x</sub></I>≈0) and the level of <I>B<sub>x</sub></I>≈10–15 nT simultaneously, giving a possibility to distinguish between closed plasmoid-like structures and open NFTE-like surges. The data analysis shows NFTE-like structures and localized current filaments embedded into the tailward plasma flow. 3-D shapes of the structures were reconstructed using the four-point magnetic filed measurements and the particle data.