EarthRef.org Reference Database (ERR)
Development and Maintenance by the EarthRef.org Database Team

Detailed Reference Information
Lennartsson 2001
Lennartsson, O.W. (2001). Ion composition aspects of magnetotail plasma flows. Journal of Geophysical Research 106: doi: 10.1029/2000JA000427. issn: 0148-0227.

Recent archiving of energetic (0.1, and region 3 has |Bz|>(Bx2+By2)1/2 and &bgr;>0.1. A fourth region has remaining plasma sheet samples (30%). In region 1 the most common drift is within ¿30¿ of the tailward magnetic field direction for all ions, including, somewhat surprisingly, the He++ ions (about half the time). Tailward drift speeds (100 km s-1). It also has velocity dispersion, however, and seems to be associated with the leading edge of intermittent bursts of ions expanding earthward from the downtail plasma sheet. Superimposed on these drifts is E¿B drift of varying speed and direction, which has a net average of the order of 10 km s-1 toward local midnight, away from the tail flanks. Comparing times (2-hour intervals) of northward and southward interplanetary magnetic field, drift speeds are some 50% larger in the southward case, and thermal speeds are 10--20% larger. In region 2, drifts are more random in direction and somewhat slower, whereas thermal speeds are 30--50% larger than in region 1. Only the O+ ions maintain dominantly tailward (field-aligned) drift. The average E¿B drift is reversed, away from local midnight, but still of the order of 10 km s-1. In region 3, average E¿B drift is sunward and away from midnight. Sunward drift occurs ~2.5 times more often than tailward drift with northward interplanetary magnetic field and almost 8 times more often with southward interplanetary magnetic field. Comparing all four regions, tailward flows of H+ and He++ ions in region 1 can account for some but only part (≤30%) of the sunward flows at lower latitude, implying that solar ions enter the plasma sheet both tailward and sunward of the ISEE 1. ¿ 2001 American Geophysical Union

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetotail, Magnetospheric Physics, Plasma convection, Magnetospheric Physics, Plasma sheet, Magnetospheric Physics, Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research
http://www.agu.org/journals/jb/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
2000 Florida Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009-1277
USA
1-202-462-6900
1-202-328-0566
service@agu.org
Click to clear formClick to return to previous pageClick to submit