Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2010-01-14
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
8 pages, 8 figures. J. Geophys. Res., in press
Scientific paper
Cluster observations in the near-Earth magnetotail have shown that sometimes the current sheet is bifurcated, i.e. it is divided in two layers. The influence of magnetic turbulence on ion motion in this region is investigated by numerical simulation, taking into account the presence of both protons and oxygen ions. The magnetotail current sheet is modeled as a magnetic field reversal with a normal magnetic field component $B_n$, plus a three-dimensional spectrum of magnetic fluctuations $\delta {\bf B}$, which represents the observed magnetic turbulence. The dawn-dusk electric field E$_y$ is also included. A test particle simulation is performed using different values of $\delta {\bf B}$, E$_y$ and injecting two different species of particles, O$^+$ ions and protons. O$^+$ ions can support the formation of a double current layer both in the absence and for large values of magnetic fluctuations ($\delta B/B_0 = 0.0$ and $\delta B/B_0 \geq 0.4$, where B$_0$ is the constant magnetic field in the magnetospheric lobes).
Dalena S.
Greco Andrés
Veltri Pierluigi
Zimbardo Gaetano
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