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Detailed Reference Information |
Yamauchi, M., Brandt, P.C., Ebihara, Y., Dandouras, I., Nilsson, H., Lundin, R., Rème, H., Vallat, C., Lindquvist, P.-A., Balogh, A. and Daly, P.W. (2006). Source location of the wedge-like dispersed ring current in the morning sector during a substorm. Journal of Geophysical Research 111: doi: 10.1029/2006JA011621. issn: 0148-0227. |
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Source of wedge-like dispersed sub-keV ring current ions (wedge-like structure) is investigated using Cluster CIS data. Statistics from nearly 550 traversals show that the wedge-like structure with upper energy extending to ordinary energy of ring current is found mostly in the morning sector whereas those limited within sub-keV range are found mostly in the noon-to-afternoon sector. The former is most likely the original form of the latter. With this knowledge, the Cluster traversal on 21 October 2001 turned out to be a unique observation that reveals the formation of the wedge-like structure. Spacecraft 1 and 4 detected a wedge-like structure of 0.1 ~ 10 keV protons at 2350 UT, while spacecraft 3 did not detect it 10 min before in the same magnetic flux tube. With the observed electric field of less than 3 mV/m, this fact indicates that the dispersion started within half an hour. Pitch angle distributions of the wedge-like structure is in most cases double conic-like butterfly distributions, but the wedge-like dispersed oxygen ions during the 21 October 2001 event flow mainly from one direction (from Northern Hemisphere) without a loss cone. With its characteristic energy of 0.05 ~ 0.3 keV, these oxygen ions originate from the Northern Hemisphere about 20 ~ 30 min before the observation. Both the dispersion analysis and the oxygen ion tracing suggest that the observed wedge-like structure is formed in the late morning sector during the latest substorm that started at 2310 UT. Possible mechanisms of the morning source are discussed. |
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BACKGROUND DATA FILES |
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Abstract |
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Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Ring current, Magnetospheric Physics, Substorms, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetosphere, inner, Magnetospheric Physics, Plasma convection, Space Plasma Physics, Charged particle motion and acceleration |
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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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