Observations Of High-Energy Electrons In The Magnetotail Using The Rapid-Ies Instrument On Cluster

Details Observations Of High-Energy Electrons In The Magnetotail Using The Rapid-Ies Instrument On Cluster Observations Of High-Energy Electrons In The Magnetotail Using The Rapid-Ies Instrument On Cluster

Dec 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003agufmsm21b0207d&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2003, abstract #SM21B-0207

Physics

2744 Magnetotail, 2748 Magnetotail Boundary Layers

Scientific paper

The RAPID instrument on each of the four Cluster spacecraft comprises both an imaging ion mass spectrometer (IIMS) and an imaging electron spectrometer (IES). The latter is capable of detecting electrons within the energy range of some 40 to 500 keV and, when operated in burst mode, provides complete angular coverage every 4-second spacecraft spin period. Such high-energy electrons provide a powerful diagnostic for the acceleration processes associated with magnetospheric boundaries and phenomena. A review of RAPID-IES observations from the majority of the science phase of the Cluster mission thus far reveals populations of energetic electrons associated with the outer radiation belt, the magnetotail current sheet and in the region of the magnetopause. Between July and October 2002, the orbit of Cluster was such that near apogee the spacecraft crossed through the night-side plasma sheet at large separation (5000 km), covering some 8 hours of local time from the dawn to the dusk-side flank. Multi-spacecraft analysis of fluxgate magnetometer (FGM) data during these current sheet crossings can define the orientation, thickness and motion of the boundary and provides a strong context for the analysis of the energetic electron observations. RAPID-IES observations from a number of tail crossings, interpreted with reference to the FGM measurements, reveal populations of energetic electrons associated with incursions by the spacecraft into the tail current sheet. The three-dimensional distribution of these electrons show that the population can be trapped or field-aligned; this we interpret in terms of proximity to reconnection sites, and time elapsed since onset.

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