Recovery of streamlines in the flank low-latitude boundary layer

Details Recovery of streamlines in the flank low-latitude boundary layer Recovery of streamlines in the flank low-latitude boundary layer

Dec 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agufmsm51d..02h&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #SM51D-02

Physics

2724 Magnetopause And Boundary Layers, 2748 Magnetotail Boundary Layers, 2752 Mhd Waves And Instabilities (2149, 6050, 7836), 7833 Mathematical And Numerical Techniques (0500, 3200)

Scientific paper

We present first results of a novel technique for producing a two-dimensional (2D) map of the velocity field from single-spacecraft observations of the bulk plasma parameters and magnetic field. For flow transverse to a unidirectional magnetic field, the MHD equations of motion can be reduced to a Grad-Shafranov-type (GS-type) equation for the stream function [Sonnerup et al., JGR, 2006], provided that the plasma structure is 2D and time-independent when seen in its proper frame. We show how this equation can be used to recover the flow field in regions surrounding a spacecraft trajectory, as was first done in the GS reconstruction of the magnetic field by Sonnerup and Guo [GRL, 1996]. The new method is benchmarked by use of a numerical solution of the GS-type equation, and further by use of synthetic data from 2D MHD simulations of the Kelvin- Helmholtz instability (KHI). Streamline maps of reasonable accuracy can be generated even when temporal evolution associated with the KHI development expected at the flank magnetopause is present. Application of the technique to a Geotail encounter with a train of KH waves in the low-latitude flank boundary layer indicates that a chain of vortices (each of size ~3 R_E by 1 R_E) existed and moved tailward along the magnetopause. We also discuss advantages to appear when the present method is applied to multi- spacecraft data, for example, obtained by Cluster.

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