scholarly journals Dispersive O<sup>+</sup> conics observed in the plasma-sheet boundary layer with CRRES/LOMICS during a magnetic storm

1996 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 593-607
Author(s):  
M. Wüest ◽  
D. T. Young ◽  
M. F. Thomsen ◽  
B. L. Barraclough ◽  
H. J. Singer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Pitch Angle ◽  
Radiation Effects ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Particle Interactions ◽  
Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer ◽  
Angle Scattering ◽  
Central Plasma ◽  
Spacecraft Spin

Abstract. We present initial results from the Low-energy magnetospheric ion composition sensor (LOMICS) on the Combined release and radiation effects satellite (CRRES) together with electron, magnetic field, and electric field wave data. LOMICS measures all important magnetospheric ion species (H+, He++, He+, O++, O+) simultaneously in the energy range 60 eV to 45 keV, as well as their pitch-angle distributions, within the time resolution afforded by the spacecraft spin period of 30 s. During the geomagnetic storm of 9 July 1991, over a period of 42 min (0734 UT to 0816 UT) the LOMICS ion mass spectrometer observed an apparent O+ conic flowing away from the southern hemisphere with a bulk velocity that decreased exponentially with time from 300 km/s to 50 km/s, while its temperature also decreased exponentially from 700 to 5 eV. At the onset of the O+ conic, intense low-frequency electromagnetic wave activity and strong pitch-angle scattering were also observed. At the time of the observations the CRRES spacecraft was inbound at L~7.5 near dusk, magnetic local time (MLT), and at a magnetic latitude of –23°. Our analysis using several CRRES instruments suggests that the spacecraft was skimming along the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) when the upward-flowing ion conic arrived. The conic appears to have evolved in time, both slowing and cooling, due to wave-particle interactions. We are unable to conclude whether the conic was causally associated with spatial structures of the PSBL or the central plasma sheet.

Statistical Properties of Field-Aligned Currents in the Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanqiang Chen ◽  
Mingyu Wu ◽  
Guoqiang Wang ◽  
Zonghao Pan ◽  
Tielong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Geomagnetic Activity ◽  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Flank Region ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Occurrence Rate ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer ◽  
Central Plasma

&lt;p&gt;Field-aligned currents (FACs), also known as Birkeland currents, are the agents by which momentum and energy can be transferred to the ionosphere from solar wind and the magnetosphere, exhibiting a seasonal variation as that of ionospheric conductance at low altitude. By using magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Magntospheric Multiscale (MMS), we estimated the properties of the small-scale FACs in the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) region. The occurrence rates of those FACs are larger near the midnight plane and near the flank region; they are also larger in the northern (summer) hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere, especially for the earthward FACs. Different distribution patterns as a function of plasma &amp;#946; are found for the Beam-type FACs and the Flow-type FACs (accompanied with observable perpendicular currents). The latter are closer to central plasma sheet (higher &amp;#946;) and their occurrence rate decreases linearly toward tail lobe (lower &amp;#946;), while the former mainly appear within the &amp;#946; range of 0.1 to 1. FAC magnitudes show little dependence on plasma &amp;#946;, while they would increase when approaching Earth generally. The occurrence rate and magnitude of FACs both increase from low to high geomagnetic activity, consistent with observation at ionospheric altitude. The main carriers for FACs in PSBL are thermal electrons, while cold electrons sometimes could also have contribution, especially under high geomagnetic activity. This study shows that FACs in the PSBL exhibit an asymmetry of occurrence rate between the northern and southern hemisphere and different signatures under low and high geomagnetic activity, which are consistent with FACs at ionospheric altitude. This demonstrates that FACs are significant in magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling and illustrates the possible ionospheric feedback effects to magnetosphere in the nightside.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Ultra-low-frequency waves and associated wave vectors observed in the plasma sheet boundary layer by Cluster

2008 ◽  
Vol 113 (A12) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Broughton ◽  
M. J. Engebretson ◽  
K.-H. Glassmeier ◽  
Y. Narita ◽  
A. Keiling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer ◽  
Low Frequency Waves

Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer in Jupiter's Magnetodisk as Observed by Juno

2020 ◽  
Vol 125 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
X.‐J. Zhang ◽  
Q. Ma ◽  
A. V. Artemyev ◽  
W. Li ◽  
W. S. Kurth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer

scholarly journals Resonant scattering of energetic electrons in the plasmasphere by monotonic whistler-mode waves artificially generated by ionospheric modification

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 507-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. Chang ◽  
B. B. Ni ◽  
J. Bortnik ◽  
C. Zhou ◽  
Z. Y. Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Test Particle ◽  
Pitch Angle ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Resonant Scattering ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Whistler Waves ◽  
Energetic Electrons ◽  
High Energy Electrons ◽  
Angle Scattering ◽  
Vlf Waves

Abstract. Modulated high-frequency (HF) heating of the ionosphere provides a feasible means of artificially generating extremely low-frequency (ELF)/very low-frequency (VLF) whistler waves, which can leak into the inner magnetosphere and contribute to resonant interactions with high-energy electrons in the plasmasphere. By ray tracing the magnetospheric propagation of ELF/VLF emissions artificially generated at low-invariant latitudes, we evaluate the relativistic electron resonant energies along the ray paths and show that propagating artificial ELF/VLF waves can resonate with electrons from ~ 100 keV to ~ 10 MeV. We further implement test particle simulations to investigate the effects of resonant scattering of energetic electrons due to triggered monotonic/single-frequency ELF/VLF waves. The results indicate that within the period of a resonance timescale, changes in electron pitch angle and kinetic energy are stochastic, and the overall effect is cumulative, that is, the changes averaged over all test electrons increase monotonically with time. The localized rates of wave-induced pitch-angle scattering and momentum diffusion in the plasmasphere are analyzed in detail for artificially generated ELF/VLF whistlers with an observable in situ amplitude of ~ 10 pT. While the local momentum diffusion of relativistic electrons is small, with a rate of < 10−7 s−1, the local pitch-angle scattering can be intense near the loss cone with a rate of ~ 10−4 s−1. Our investigation further supports the feasibility of artificial triggering of ELF/VLF whistler waves for removal of high-energy electrons at lower L shells within the plasmasphere. Moreover, our test particle simulation results show quantitatively good agreement with quasi-linear diffusion coefficients, confirming the applicability of both methods to evaluate the resonant diffusion effect of artificial generated ELF/VLF whistlers.

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