Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsm51c1842h&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SM51C-1842
Physics
Plasma Physics
[2723] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetic Reconnection, [2744] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetotail, [7852] Space Plasma Physics / Solitons And Solitary Waves
Scientific paper
Cluster observations of large amplitude solitary waves (up to ~250 mV/m), identified as electron holes, were studied for six days when the satellites repeatedly crossed the plasma sheet near a reconnection region. Examination of EFW instrument burst data, with an automated program [Dombeck et al., 2001] and visual inspection, detected solitary waves on 18 of the 24 bursts. There was one 10 second burst on each spacecraft each day with solitary waves detected in at least one burst from every day. Solitary waves were seen on all four spacecraft during three of the days. The variety of positions surveyed by Cluster due to both spacecraft separation and the differing locations with respect to the reconnection region at each of the six events enables a comparison of solitary wave duration and peak to peak electric field in many different parts of the reconnection region. The study expands work by Cattell et al. [2005] which, along with simulations by Drake et al. [2003], showed that electron holes could provide some of the particle scattering needed in the reconnection process. The August 24, 2003 burst on spacecraft 2 is unique because several solitary waves were detected less than 200 km from and some within a few km of the center of the current sheet (BXgse=0). This is in contrast to the Cattell et al. [2005] results where solitary waves were only seen on spacecraft greater than 1,500 km from the center of the current sheet. Peak to peak electric fields of a few to hundreds of mV/m and durations of tenths to tens of microseconds were consistent for solitary waves both near and far from the center of the current sheet. In agreement with previous studies and independent of position in the current sheet, all solitary waves were detected during times when PEACE measured narrow field aligned electron beams. While recent studies, such as Che et al. [2009] and Goldman et al. [2008], suggested different wave modes for the evolution of solitary waves, a determination of different wave modes based on velocity is not possible since most solitary waves are traveling faster than the ~1600 km/s limit that can be measured with this automated program on Cluster. These speeds and the peak to peak electric fields that increase with increasing duration suggest that the solitary waves are consistent with BGK holes as found previously [Cattell et al., 1999; Franz et al. 1999; Ergun et al., 1998].
Cattell Cynthia A.
Hupach Adam
Mouikis Christopher
Schwartz Steve J.
Wygant John R.
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