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Miyashita et al. 2003
Miyashita, Y., Machida, S., Liou, K., Mukai, T., Saito, Y., Hayakawa, H., Meng, C.-I. and Parks, G.K. (2003). Evolution of the magnetotail associated with substorm auroral breakups. Journal of Geophysical Research 108. doi: 10.1029/2003JA009939. issn: 0148-0227.

We have statistically studied the three-dimensional structure of evolution of the magnetotail associated with substorm expansion onsets. We selected 397 auroral breakups from Polar UVI data with a timing uncertainty of less than 2 min and then performed the two-dimensional superposed epoch analysis using GEOTAIL data with 2 min resolution. We also performed the regional superposed epoch analysis with 1 min resolution using only the events for which we could determine the onset time with an uncertainty of less than 1 min. In particular, we found the simultaneous variations in the north-south magnetic field, the duskward electric field, and the thermal flux immediately after onset around X ~ -10RE and X ~ -30RE, as well as the first total pressure decrease slightly (0--2 min) before onset around X ~ -20RE. These results suggest that the merging of magnetic field lines or the magnetic reconnection first occurs around X ~ -20RE in the premidnight tail at least 0--2 min before onset. Then, immediately after onset, the dipolarization occurs around X ~ -10RE, which is simultaneous with substantial evolution of the plasmoid around X ~ -30RE.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Storms and substorms, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetotail, Magnetospheric Physics, Auroral phenomena, Space Plasma Physics, Magnetic reconnection, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research
http://www.agu.org/journals/jb/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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