Near-Earth thin current sheets and Birkeland currents during substorm growth phase

Details Near-Earth thin current sheets and Birkeland currents during substorm growth phase Near-Earth thin current sheets and Birkeland currents during substorm growth phase

Sep 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003georl..30qssc3z&link_type=abstract

Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 30, Issue 17, pp. SSC 3-1, CiteID 1883, DOI 10.1029/2003GL017456

Physics

13

Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetospheric Configuration And Dynamics, Magnetospheric Physics: Current Systems (2409), Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosphere-Inner, Magnetospheric Physics: Storms And Substorms

Scientific paper

Two important observed substorm growth phase phenomena are modeled: the formation of a near-Earth (|X| ~ 8 RE) thin cross-tail current sheet, as well as the equatorward shift of the ionospheric Birkeland currents. Our study is performed by solving the 3D force-balance equation with realistic boundary conditions and pressure distributions. The obtained cross-tail current sheet has large current density (Jφ ~ 10 nA/m2) and a half-thickness in the north-south direction of ~1 RE, while plasma β is very high (β ~ 40) in the current sheet region. The Region-1 and Region-2 Birkeland currents, formed on closed field lines due to pressure gradients, move equatorward and become more intense (J∥max ~ 3 μA/m2) compared to quiet times. The results agree with growth phase observations. We also find that the cross-tail current sheet maps into the ionosphere in the transition region between the Region-1 and Region-2 currents.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Near-Earth thin current sheets and Birkeland currents during substorm growth phase does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Near-Earth thin current sheets and Birkeland currents during substorm growth phase, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Near-Earth thin current sheets and Birkeland currents during substorm growth phase will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1482668