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Detailed Reference Information
Santolík et al. 2005
Santolík, O., Persoon, A.M., Gurnett, D.A., Décréau, P.M.E., Pickett, J.S., Maršálek, O., Maksimovic, M. and Cornilleau-Wehrlin, N. (2005). Drifting field-aligned density structures in the night-side polar cap. Geophysical Research Letters 32: doi: 10.1029/2004GL021696. issn: 0094-8276.

Spatio-temporal properties of density irregularities in the night-side polar cap are inferred from multi-point observations of auroral hiss at a radial distance of 5 Earth radii. In this case study, we use high resolution data of the wave instruments onboard the four Cluster spacecraft to estimate the local plasma density, obtaining values close to 1 cm-3 with density depletions decreasing down to 0.15 cm-3. Combined analysis in different points in space conclusively shows for the first time that these density structures are field-aligned and that they predominantly drift in the anti-sunward direction at speeds of a few km/s. This corresponds to a dawn-to-dusk convection electric field of approximately 1 mV/m. The transverse dimension of the observed density depletions, mapped down to the ionospheric heights, is of the order of a few tens of km. Their lifetime is probably longer than tens of seconds.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics, Magnetospheric Physics, Plasma convection, Magnetospheric Physics, Plasma waves and instabilities, Magnetospheric Physics, Polar cap phenomena, Radio Science, Magnetospheric physics
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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