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Fedorov et al. 2001
Fedorov, A., Dubinin, E., Song, P., Skalsky, A. and Budnik, E. (2001). Structure of the flank magnetopause for horizontal IMF: INTERBALL 1 observations. Journal of Geophysical Research 106: doi: 10.1029/2000JA900104. issn: 0148-0227.

A case study is presented of a flank duskside magnetopause crossing by the INTERBALL 1 spacecraft during an interval of duskward horizontal interplanetary magnetic field. There is strong evidence that reconnection takes place in the flank magnetopause, where the draped sheath field has a large shear relative to the magnetospheric field. In our case the satellite was on the duskside above the equator. The assumed reconnection site is on the duskside of the northern flank slightly sunward at higher latitudes with respect to the satellite. The observations show energetic particles streaming along the field in the magnetosheath from the reconnection site, as expected. The deHoffman-Teller frame analysis shows that propagation of the magnetopause perturbations originates from the derived reconnection site. Observations are, in general, consistent with reconnection models that are based on the one-dimensional assumption. However, there is some significant deviation from the model prediction. We attribute the deviation to the presence of sheared plasma flow. The magnetopause in this case could not be described as a simple one-dimensional rotational discontinuity. ¿ 2001 American Geophysical Union

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers, Magnetospheric Physics, Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions, Space Plasma Physics, Magnetic reconnection
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research
http://www.agu.org/journals/jb/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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