Total ion pressure changes with L shell in the nightside inner magnetosphere

Physics

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Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosphere: Inner, Magnetospheric Physics: Polar Cap Phenomena, Magnetospheric Physics: Plasmasphere, Magnetospheric Physics: Substorms, Magnetospheric Physics: Plasma Sheet

Scientific paper

The total ion plasma pressure has been estimated in the equatorial plane of the magnetosphere from the CRRES measurements when the satellite crossed the magnetic shells from L ~ 2.3 to L ~ 6.6 in the night sector of ~20-24 MLT. The data of the LEPA and the EPAS particle detectors as well as the magnetic field data on the CRRES satellite have been used for two events with the AE < 300 nT before the substorm onset. It is found that the gross radial structure of the plasma pressure constructed along the CRRES orbit exhibits a maximum at L ~ 3 and then a gradual decrease with distance from the Earth. Along with these usual features of the plasma pressure profile, we revealed an additional maximum of the total ion pressure, which appears at L ~ 4.6-4.9. It is located earthward of the Alfvén boundaries of low-energy electrons. From the analysis of the energy composition of plasma pressure we conclude that this additional maximum is a result of enhancement of the pressure of ions with energies <30 keV which was observed ~20 min after a small enhancement of magnetic activity. We suppose that dynamical changes in the electric field and particle density in the plasma sheet are the dominant processes that form the observed peculiarity in the radial profile of the total ion pressure. These dynamical changes lead to a shift of convection boundaries and to acceleration of ion flux which was formed by preexisting quasi-steady convection.

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