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

Detailed Reference Information
Consolini et al. 2005
Consolini, G., Kretzschmar, M., Lui, A.T.Y., Zimbardo, G. and Macek, W.M. (2005). On the magnetic field fluctuations during magnetospheric tail current disruption: A statistical approach. Journal of Geophysical Research 110: doi: 10.1029/2004JA010947. issn: 0148-0227.

The objective of this study is to investigate the nature of the magnetic field relaxation process associated with tail current disruption on the basis of magnetic field measurements collected in the near-Earth tail regions. In detail, using magnetic field data for three current disruption (CD) events as observed by AMPTEE/CCE spacecraft, we investigate the scaling features of the probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the magnetic field fluctuations at different timescales τ. The PDFs of magnetic field fluctuations in non-MHD domain (i.e., below the proton gyroperiod) show non-Gaussian tails and the probability of return Pτ(0) scales in this domain as τ with α > 1/2, which is compatible with a L¿vy statistics. Conversely, the scaling of the PDFs of the CD magnetic fluctuations in the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) regime is compatible with a classical Brownian motion α ~ 1/2. These findings are discussed in terms of an anomalous diffusion process, involving the magnetic field relaxation during CD. Furthermore, the relevance of these results of a non-Gaussian statistics at the shorter timescales is discussed in connection with the non-MHD nature of the CD phenomenon.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetic storms and substorms, Magnetospheric Physics, Field-aligned currents and current systems, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetotail, Nonlinear Geophysics, Scaling, spatial and temporal (1872, 3270, 4277), Mathematical Geophysics, Stochastic processes (3235, 4468, 4475, 7857), magnetic substorms, tail current disruption, dipolarization processes, anomalous diffusion processes, complexity, turbulence
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