Equatorial distributions of the plasma sheet ions, their electric and magnetic drifts, and magnetic fields under different interplanetary magnetic field Bz conditions

Details Equatorial distributions of the plasma sheet ions, their electric and magnetic drifts, and magnetic fields under different interplanetary magnetic field Bz conditions Equatorial distributions of the plasma sheet ions, their electric and magnetic drifts, and magnetic fields under different interplanetary magnetic field Bz conditions

Apr 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006jgra..11104215w&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 111, Issue A4, CiteID A04215

Physics

29

Magnetospheric Physics: Plasma Sheet, Magnetospheric Physics: Solar Wind/Magnetosphere Interactions, Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetospheric Configuration And Dynamics, Magnetospheric Physics: Plasma Convection (2463), Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetotail

Scientific paper

To understand the nightside plasma sheet structure under different interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz conditions, we have investigated statistically the equatorial distributions of ions and magnetic fields from Geotail when the IMF has been continuously northward or southward for shorter or longer than 1 hour. A dawn-dusk density (temperature) asymmetry with higher density (temperature) on the dawn (dusk) side is seen in the near-Earth plasma sheet during northward IMF, resulting in roughly dawn-dusk symmetric pressure. As southward IMF proceeds, the density asymmetry weakens while the temperature asymmetry maintains, resulting in higher pressure on the dusk side. The plasma sheet is relatively colder and denser near the flanks than around midnight. The flux distributions show that the density asymmetry is due to ions <~3 keV, and the temperature asymmetry is due to ions above thermal energy. The perpendicular flow shows that ions divert around the Earth mainly through the dusk side in the inner plasma sheet because of westward diamagnetic drift. The magnetic fields indicate that field lines are more stretched during southward IMF. Ions' electric and magnetic drift paths evaluated from the observations show that for thermal energy ions, magnetic drift is as important as electric drift. Comparison of the distributions of the observed phase space density with the evaluated drift paths at different energies indicates that the electric and magnetic drift transport is responsible for the observed dawn-dusk asymmetries in the plasma sheet structure.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Equatorial distributions of the plasma sheet ions, their electric and magnetic drifts, and magnetic fields under different interplanetary magnetic field Bz conditions 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 Equatorial distributions of the plasma sheet ions, their electric and magnetic drifts, and magnetic fields under different interplanetary magnetic field Bz conditions, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Equatorial distributions of the plasma sheet ions, their electric and magnetic drifts, and magnetic fields under different interplanetary magnetic field Bz conditions will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1501216