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Detailed Reference Information |
Ueno, G., Ohtani, S., Saito, Y. and Mukai, T. (2002). Field-aligned currents in the outermost plasma sheet boundary layer with Geotail observation. Journal of Geophysical Research 107. doi: 10.1029/2002JA009367. issn: 0148-0227. |
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We have studied the outermost field-aligned currents (FACs) in the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) with the Geotail observations. The trajectory and plasma data of Geotail enable us to conduct a more comprehensive and systematic survey than former work based on the ISEE 1 and 2 data. We identified the FACs with the variation of the dawn-dusk magnetic field component and calculated their intensities on the assumption of the sheet geometry. A case study indicated that the FACs flow earthward on the earthward side of the reconnection site while the FACs are directed tailward on the tailward side. This tendency was confirmed statistically for PSBL crossings by Geotail inside XGSM = -40 RE. This FAC distribution can be reasonably interpreted in terms of the Hall current system generated by the magnetic reconnection process. The statistical study also showed a dawn-dusk asymmetry of the polarity of the outermost FACs on the earthward side of the reconnection site. That is, while the FACs flow mainly earthward, tailward-flowing FACs frequently appear in the dusk sector. In the tailward side of the reconnection site, however, we did not find such a dawn-dusk dependence about the polarity of the outermost FACs. |
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Abstract |
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Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Current systems, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetotail boundary layers, Magnetospheric Physics, Plasma sheet, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions |
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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 |
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