Impulsive energization of ions in the near-earth magnetotail during substorms

Details Impulsive energization of ions in the near-earth magnetotail during substorms Impulsive energization of ions in the near-earth magnetotail during substorms

Apr 1990

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990p%26ss...38..491l&link_type=abstract

Planetary and Space Science (ISSN 0032-0633), vol. 38, April 1990, p. 491-505.

Computer Science

13

Geomagnetic Pulsations, Geomagnetic Tail, Magnetic Storms, Particle Acceleration, Analytic Functions, Collapse, Current Sheets, Equatorial Regions, Field Aligned Currents, Geomagnetism, Magnetic Field Configurations, Particle Trajectories, Velocity Distribution

Scientific paper

At the onset of a magnetospheric substorm, the stretched, taillike field lines in the near-earth plasma sheet collapse rapidly in toward the earth, and assume a more dipolar configuration. Low-energy ions, whose initial speeds are comparable with, or less than the field collapse speed, are accelerated parallel to the magnetic field in the equatorial region during the collapse, giving rise to the field-aligned 'bouncing ion clusters' observed near geostationary orbit. It is shown that the acceleration of these particles can be readily understood, and estimated quantitatively for given model fields, in terms of particle motion in a one-dimensional field configuration, representing the local equatorial field. Estimates based on this simple theory are compared with the results of guiding-center integrations of particle trajectories, and show good agreement. The theory shows that the low energy ions which cross the equatorial plane during the collapse are accelerated along the field to a speed which is comparable with the equatorial collapse speed of the field, a result which is independent of ion mass. A simple explanation is thus provided of the major features of recent numerical models of low energy ion acceleration during the substorm collapse.

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