Multiple Flux Rope Events at the High-Latitude Magnetopause: Cluster/Rapid Observation on 26 January, 2001

Cluster measurements of the cusp and high latitude magnetopause boundary on 26 January, 2001 confirm that the cusp is a dynamic region full of energetic charged particles and turbulence. An energetic ion layer at high-latitudes beyond and adjacent to the duskside magnetopause exists when the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) has a southward orientation. Multiple energetic ion flux bursts were observed in the energetic ion layer. Each energetic ion flux burst was closely related to a magnetic flux rope. The axes of the flux ropes lie in the direction pointing duskward/tailward and somewhat upward. An intense axis-aligned current flows inside the ropes, with the current density reaching ∼10⁻⁸ A/m². The main components of the energetic ions are protons, helium and CNO ions, which originate from the magnetosphere, flowing out into the magnetosheath along the axis of the flux ropes. The velocity of the magnetosheath thermal plasma relative to the deHoffman-Teller (DHT) frame is found to be basically along the axis of the flux ropes also, but towards the magnetosphere. These flux ropes seem to be produced somewhere away via magnetic reconnection and move at similar DHT velocities passing over the spacecraft. These observations further confirm that the high-latitude magnetopause boundary region plays an important role in the solar wind-magnetopause coupling.     

Observations of a Unique Cusp Signature at Low and Mid Altitudes

Observations of a unique cusp feature at low and mid altitudes are reported. This feature has a consistent double-peaked or “V”-shaped structure at the equatorward edge of high-latitude particle precipitation flux, and is predominantly present for high IMF B_y conditions. The observations are consistent with the Crooker (‘A split separator line merging model of the dayside magnetopause’, J. Geophys. Res. 90 (1985) 12104, ‘Mapping the merging potential from the magnetopause to the ionosphere through the dayside cusp’, J. Geophys. Res. (1988) 93 7338.) antiparallel merging model, which predicts a narrow wedge-shaped cusp whose geometry depends greatly on the dawn/dusk component of the IMF. Various observations are presented at low altitudes (DE-2, Astrid-2, Munin, UARS, DMSP) and at mid altitudes (DE-1, Cluster) that suggest a highly coherent cusp feature that is consistent with the narrow, wedge-shaped cusp of Crooker (1988), and contains persistent wave signatures that are compatible with previously reported high-altitude measurements. A statistical survey of Astrid-2 and DMSP satellite data is also presented, which shows this feature to be persistent and dependent on the IMF angle at the magnetopause, as expected. Thus, the cusp signatures observed at a wide range of altitudes present a coherent picture that may be interpreted in terms of a footprint of the magnetopause current layer.     

Quiet-time Pc 5 pulsations in the Earth’s magnetotail: IMP-8, ISEE-1 and ISEE-3 simultaneous observations

Quasi-periodic Pc 5 pulsations have been reported inside and just outside the Earth’s magnetotail during intervals of low geomagnetic activity. In order to further define their characteristics and spatial extent, we present three case studies of simultaneous magnetic field and plasma observations by IMP-8, ISEE-1 (and ISEE-2 in one case) in the Earth’s magnetotail and ISEE-3 far upstream of the bow shock, during intervals in which the spacecraft were widely separated. In the first case study, similar pulsations are observed by IMP-8 at the dawn flank of the plasma sheet and by ISEE-1 near the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) near midnight local time. In the second case study, simultaneous pulsations are observed by IMP-8 in the dusk magnetosheath and by ISEE-1 and 2 in the dawn plasma sheet. In the third case study, simultaneous pulsations are observed in the north plasma sheet boundary layer and the south plasma sheet. We conclude that the pulsations occur simultaneously throughout much of the nightside magnetosphere and the surrounding magnetosheath, i.e. that they have a global character. Some additional findings are the following: (a) the observed pulsations are mixed mode compressional and transverse, where the compressional character is more apparent in the close vicinity of the plane Z_GSM=0; (b) the compressional pulsations of the magnetic field in the dusk magnetosheath show peaks that coincide (almost one-to-one) with similar peaks observed inside the dawn plasma sheet; (c) in the second case study the polarization sense of the magnetic field and the recurrent left-hand plasma vortices observed in the dawn plasma sheet are consistent with antisunward moving waves on the magneto-pause; (d) pulsation amplitudes are weaker in the PSBL(or lobe) as compared with those in the magneto-tail’s flanks, suggesting a decay with distance from the magnetopause; (e) the thickness of the plasma sheet (under extremely quiet conditions) is estimated to be \sim22 R_E at an average location of (X, Y)_GSM=(16, 17) R_E, whereas at midnight local time the thickness is \sim14 R_E. The detected pulsations are probably due to the pressure variations (recorded by ISEE-3) in the solar wind, and/or the Kelvin Helmholtz instability in the low-latitude boundary layer or the magnetopause due to a strongly northward IMF.     

Cusp Modeling and Observations at Low Altitude

Cusp properties have been investigated with an open-field line particle precipitation model and Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite observations. Particular emphasis is placed on the effects of IMF B_y, since previous studies focus mostly on IMF B_z. The model-data comparisons for various IMF configurations show that the model captures the large-scale features of the particle precipitation very well, not only in the cusp region, but also in other open-field line regions such as the mantle, polar rain, and open-field line low-altitude boundary layer (LLBL). When the IMF is strongly duskward/dawnward and weakly southward, the model predicts the occurrence of double cusp near noon: one cusp at lower latitude and one at higher latitude. The lower latitude cusp ions originate from the low-latitude magnetosheath whereas the higher latitude ions originate from the high-latitude magnetosheath. The lower latitude cusp is located in the region of weak azimuthal E × B drift, resulting in a dispersionless cusp. The higher latitude cusp is located in the region of strong azimuthal and poleward E × B drift. Because of a significant poleward drift, the higher latitude cusp dispersion has some resemblance to that of the typical southward IMF cusp. Occasionally, the two parts of the double cusp have such narrow latitudinal separation that they give the appearance of just one cusp with extended latitudinal width. From the 40 DMSP passes selected during periods of large (positive or negative) IMF B_y and small negative IMF B_z, 30 (75%) of the passes exhibit double cusps or cusps with extended latitudinal width. The double cusp result is consistent with the following statistical results: (1) the cusp’s latitudinal width increases with |IMF B_y| and (2) the cusp’s equatorward boundary moves to lower latitude with increasing |IMF B_y|.     

Density fluctuations measured by ISEE 1–2 in the Earth’s magnetosheath and the resultant scattering of radio waves

Radio waves undergo angular scattering when they propagate through a plasma with fluctuating density. We show how the angular scattering coefficient can be calculated as a function of the frequency spectrum of the local density fluctuations. In the Earths magnetosheath, the ISEE 1–2 propagation experiment measured the spectral power of the density fluctuations for periods in the range 300 to 1 s, which produce most of the scattering. The resultant local angular scattering coefficient can then be calculated for the first time with realistic density fluctuation spectra, which are neither Gaussian nor power laws. We present results on the variation of the local angular scattering coefficient during two crossings of the dayside magnetosheath, from the quasi-perpendicular bow shock to the magnetopause. For a radio wave at twice the local electron plasma frequency, the scattering coefficient in the major part of the magnetosheath is b(2f_p) 0.5–4 × 10^–9 rad²/m. The scattering coefficient is about ten times stronger in a thin sheet (0.1 to IR_E) just downstream of the shock ramp, and close to the magnetopause.     

Characteristics of ≥ 290 keV magnetosheath ions

We performed a statistical analysis of 290–500 keV ion data obtained by IMP-8 during the years 1982–1988 within the earth’s magnetosheath and analysed in detail some time periods withdistinct ion bursts. These studies reveal the following characteristics for magnetosheath 290–500 keV energetic ions: (a) the occurrence frequency and the flux of ions increase with increasing geomagnetic activity as indicated by the Kp index; the occurrence frequency was found to be as high as P ≥ 42% for Kp ≥ 2, (b) the occurrence frequency in the dusk magnetosheath was found to be slightly dependent on the local time and ranged between ≈30% and ≈46% for all Kp values; the highest occurrence frequency was detected near the dusk magnetopause (21 LT), (c) the high energy ion bursts display a dawn-dusk asymmetry in their maximum fluxes, with higher fluxes appearing in the dusk magnetosheath, and (d) the observations in the dusk magnetosheath suggest that there exist intensity gradients of energetic ions from the bow shock toward the magnetopause. The statistical results are consistent with the concept that leakage of magnetospheric ions from the dusk magnetopause is a semi-permanent physical process often providing the magnetosheath with high energy (290–500 keV) ions.     

Identification of magnetosheath mirror modes in Equator-S magnetic field data

Between December 1997 and March 1998 Equator-S made a number of excursions into the dawn-side magnetosheath, over a range of local times between 6:00 and 10:40 LT. Clear mirror-like structures, characterised by compressive fluctuations in |B| on occasion lasting for up to 5 h, were observed during a significant fraction of these orbits. During most of these passes the satellite appeared to remain close to the magnetopause (within 1–2 Re), during sustained compressions of the magnetosphere, and so the characteristics of the mirror structures are used as a diagnostic of magnetosheath structure close to the magnetopause during these orbits. It is found that in the majority of cases mirror-like activity persists, undamped, to within a few minutes of the magnetopause, with no observable ramp in |B|, irrespective of the magnetic shear across the boundary. This suggests that any plasma depletion layer is typically of narrow extent or absent at the location of the satellite, at least during the subset of orbits containing strong magnetosheath mirror-mode signatures. Power spectra for the mirror signatures show predominately field aligned power, a well defined shoulder at around 3–10 × 10⁻² Hz and decreasing power at higher frequencies. On occasions the fluctuations are more sinusoidal, leading to peaked spectra instead of a shoulder. In all cases mirror structures are found to lie approximately parallel to the observed magnetopause boundary. There is some indication that the amplitude of the compressional fluctuations tends to be greater closer to the magnetopause. This has not been previously reported in the Earth’s magnetosphere, but has been suggested in the case of other planets.     

Role of interchange instability in flux transfer event origin

It is shown that the interaction of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), when it has southward component, with the geomagnetic field leads to the formation of an enhanced pressure layer (EPL) near the magnetopause. Currents flowing on the boundary between the EPL and the magnetosheath prevent the IMF from penetrating the magnetosphere. However, the outward boundary of the EPL is unstable. The interchange instability permanently destroys the EPL. Separate filaments of the EPL move away from the Earth. New colder plasma of the magnetosheath with a frozen magnetic field replaces the hotter EPL plasma, and the process of EPL formation and destruction repeats itself.The instability increment is calculated for various magnitudes of the azimuthal wave number, k_y, and curvature radius of the magnetic field lines, R_c. The disturbances with R⁻¹_e\leqk_y\leq4R⁻¹_e (where R_e is the Earth’s radius) and R_c\simeqR_e are the most unstable.A possible result of the interchange instability of the EPL may be patchy reconnection, displayed as flux transfer events (FTEs) near the magnetopause.     

Magion-4 High-Altitude Cusp Study

The polar cusps have traditionally been described as narrow funnel-shaped regions of magnetospheric magnetic field lines directly connected to magnetosheath ones, allowing the magnetosheath plasma to precipitate into the ionosphere. However, recent middle- to high-altitude observations (i.e., the Interball, Hawkeye, Polar, Image, and Cluster spacecraft) reported the cusps to encompass a broad area near local noon. The present paper focuses on a statistical study of the high-altitude cusp and surrounding magnetosheath regions as well as on some peculiarities of the cusp-magnetosheath transition. For a comparison of high- and low-altitude cusp determination, we present a mapping of two-year Magion-4 (a part of the Interball project) observations of cusp-like plasma along model magnetic field lines (according to the Tsyganenko 96 model) down to the Earth’s surface. The footprint positions show a substantial latitudinal dependence on the dipole tilt angle. The dependence can be fitted by a line with a slope of 0.14° MLAT per 1° of tilt. In contrary to previously reported IMF or solar wind influences on the cusp shape or location, some differences exist: (1) a possible IMF B_X dependence of the cusp location, (2) a split cusp for B_Y≠ 0, and (3) a smaller cusp during periods of higher solar wind dynamic pressure. The conclusions following from the statistical analysis are confirmed by case studies which reveal the physical mechanisms leading to the observed phenomena. Results have shown that (1) reconnection near the cusp does not necessarily lead to observable precipitation, (2) the cusp precipitation in one hemisphere can be supplied from the conjugate hemisphere, and (3) the cusp geometry at a certain time depends on the IMF history.     

Character of turbulence in the boundary regions of the Earth’s magnetosphere

The statistical features of the magnetic field and ion flux fluctuations in the boundary regions of the Earth’s magnetosphere have been studied on different timescales based on the Interball satellite measurements. Changes in the form and parameters of the probability density function have been studied for the periods when the satellite was in the solar wind plasma, different magnetosheath regions, and the turbulent boundary layer (TBL) at the polar cusp outer boundary. Variations in the probability density function maximum (P ₀) and the kurtosis value as characteristics of the turbulence property evolution on different timescales have been studied. Two asymptotic regimes of P ₀, which are characterized by different power laws, have been found. The structural functions of different orders and the types of diffusion processes in different regions, depending on time variations in the generalized diffusion coefficient, have been studied in order to analyze the character of diffusion processes. For the magnetosheath regions, TBL, and polar cusp, it has been found that the diffusion coefficient increases in the course of time (i.e., the regime of superdiffusion has been obtained). In the foreshock region before the main shock, turbulent processes are described by the Kolmogorov model of classical diffusion.     

Coupling processes at the magnetopause

This review covers several aspects of magnetopause research during the two-year period from mid-1991 to mid-1993. It focusses upon three topics which received renewed attention: the structure of the steady-state magnetopause, the origin of the transient events which are superimposed upon it, and the cause of transient signatures observed by high-latitude dayside ground magnetometers. Case and statistical studies defined the relatively unknown characteristics of the magnetosheath plasma layers lying outside the magnetopause, while theoretical studies provided alternative explanations for the presence of magnetosheath plasma within the LLBL. Evidence was presented for a steady transition from magnetosheath to magnetospheric plasma parameters. Detailed studies described the plasma, energetic particle, and magnetic field characteristics of transient events in the outer dayside magnetosphere, and multipoint studies provided important new information concerning the ionospheric response to sudden changes in solar wind parameters. This review emphasizes the competing explanations which have been advanced to explain these phenomena.     

On the formation of a plasma pressure anisotropy in the dayside magnetosheath

We present a numerical solution for the momentum equation of the magnetosheath particles that describes the distribution of the pressure anisotropy of the magnetosheath plasma in the midday meridian plane. The pressure anisotropy is a maximum near the magnetopause subsolar point (p_⊥/p_\Vert\cong10). The pressure anisotropy is caused by two factors: particles with small pitch angles (V_\Vert>V_⊥) which travel along the magnetic field lines away from the equatorial plane of the magnetosheath; and particles, after crossing the bowshock, which reach the bulk velocity component directed along the magnetic field lines again, away from the magnetosheath equatorial plane. This velocity increases with increasing distance from the subsolar point of the bowshock, and does not permit particles with large pitch angles (V_⊥>V_\Vert) to move toward the equatorial plane.     

Cluster Observes the High-Altitude CUSP Region

This paper gives an overview of Cluster observations in the high-altitude cusp region of the magnetosphere. The low and mid-altitude cusps have been extensively studied previously with a number of low-altitude satellites, but only little is known about the distant part of the magnetospheric cusps. During the spring-time, the trajectory of the Cluster fleet is well placed for dayside, high-altitude magnetosphere investigations due to its highly eccentric polar orbit. Wide coverage of the region has resulted and, depending on the magnetic dipole tilt and the solar wind conditions, the spacecraft are susceptible to encounter: the plasma mantle, the high-altitude cusp, the dayside magnetosphere (i.e. dayside plasma sheet) and the distant exterior cusp diamagnetic cavity. The spacecraft either exit into the magnetosheath through the dayside magnetopause or through the exterior cusp–magnetosheath interface. This paper is based on Cluster observations made during three high-altitude passes. These were chosen because they occurred during different solar wind conditions and different inter-spacecraft separations. In addition, the dynamic nature of the cusp allowed all the aforementioned regions to be sampled with different order, duration and characteristics. The analysis deals with observations of: (1) both spatial and temporal structures at high-altitudes in the cusp and plasma mantle, (2) signatures of possible steady reconnection, flux transfer events (FTE) and plasma transfer events (PTE), (3) intermittent cold (<100 eV) plasma acceleration associated with both plasma penetration and boundary motions, (4) energetic ions (5–40 keV) in the exterior cusp diamagnetic cavity and (5) the global structure of the exterior cusp and its direct interface with the magnetosheath. The analysis is primarily focused on ion and magnetic field measurements. By use of these recent multi-spacecraft Cluster observations we illustrate the current topics under debate pertaining to the solar wind–magnetosphere interaction, for which this region is known to be of major importance.     

Properties and origin of energetic particles at the duskside of the Earth’s magnetosheath throughout a great storm

We study an interval of 56 h on January 16 to 18, 1995, during which the GEOTAIL spacecraft traversed the duskside magnetosheath from X ≅ −15 to −40 R_E and the EPIC/ICS and EPIC/STICS sensors sporadically detected tens of energetic particle bursts. This interval coincides with the expansion and growth of a great geomagnetic storm. The flux bursts are strongly dependent on the magnetic field orientation. They switch on whenever the B_z component approaches zero (B_z ≅ 0 nT). We strongly suggest a magnetospheric origin for the energetic ions and electrons streaming along these “exodus channels”. The time profiles for energetic protons and “tracer” O⁺ ions are nearly identical, which suggests a common source. We suggest that the particles leak out of the magnetosphere all the time and that when the magnetosheath magnetic field connects the spacecraft to the magnetotail, they stream away to be observed by the GEOTAIL sensors. The energetic electron fluxes are not observed as commonly as the ions, indicating that their source is more limited in extent. In one case study the magnetosheath magnetic field lines are draped around the magnetopause within the YZ plane and a dispersed structure for peak fluxes of different species is detected and interpreted as evidence for energetic electrons leaking out from the dawn LLBL and then being channelled along the draped magnetic field lines over the magnetopause. Protons leak from the equatorial dusk LLBL and this spatial differentiation between electron and proton sources results in the observed dispersion. A gradient of energetic proton intensities toward the Z_GSM= 0 plane is inferred. There is a permanent layer of energetic particles adjacent to the magnetosheath during this interval in which the dominant component of the magnetic field was B_z.     

Cluster Observations of the CUSP: Magnetic Structure and Dynamics

This paper reviews Cluster observations of the high altitude and exterior (outer) cusp, and adjacent regions in terms of new multi-spacecraft analysis and the geometry of the surrounding boundary layers. Several crossings are described in terms of the regions sampled, the boundary dynamics and the electric current signatures observed. A companion paper in this issue focuses on the detailed plasma distributions of the boundary layers. The polar Cluster orbits take the four spacecraft in a changing formation out of the magnetosphere, on the northern leg, and into the magnetosphere, on the southern leg, of the orbits. During February to April the orbits are centred on a few hours of local noon and, on the northern leg, generally pass consecutively through the northern lobe and the cusp at mid- to high-altitudes. Depending upon conditions, the spacecraft often sample the outer cusp region, near the magnetopause, and the dayside and tail boundary layer regions adjacent to the central cusp. On the southern, inbound leg the sequence is reversed. Cluster has therefore sampled the boundaries around the high altitude cusp and nearby magnetopause under a variety of conditions. The instruments onboard provide unprecedented resolution of the plasma and field properties of the region, and the simultaneous, four-spacecraft coverage achieved by Cluster is unique. The spacecraft array forms a nearly regular tetrahedral configuration in the cusp and already the mission has covered this region on multiple spatial scales (100–2000 km). This multi-spacecraft coverage allows spatial and temporal features to be distinguished to a large degree and, in particular, enables the macroscopic properties of the boundary layers to be identified: the orientation, motion and thickness, and the associated current layers. We review the results of this analysis for a number of selected crossings from both the North and South cusp regions. Several key results have been found or have confirmed earlier work: (1) evidence for magnetically defined boundaries at both the outer cusp/magnetosheath interface and the␣inner cusp/lobe or cusp/dayside magnetosphere interface, as would support the existence of a distinct exterior cusp region; (2) evidence for an associated indentation region on the magnetopause across the outer cusp; (3) well defined plasma boundaries at the edges of the mid- to high-altitude cusp “throat”, and well defined magnetic boundaries in the high-altitude “throat”, consistent with a funnel geometry; (4) direct control of the cusp position, and its extent, by the IMF, both in the dawn/dusk and North/South directions. The exterior cusp, in particular, is highly dependent on the external conditions prevailing. The magnetic field geometry is sometimes complex, but often the current layer has a well defined thickness ranging from a few hundred (for the inner cusp boundaries) to 1000 km. Motion of the inner cusp boundaries can occur at speeds up to 60 km/s, but typically 10–20 km/s. These speeds appear to represent global motion of the cusp in some cases, but also could arise from expansion or narrowing in others. The mid- to high-altitude cusp usually contains enhanced ULF wave activity, and the exterior cusp usually is associated with a substantial reduction in field magnitude.     

2001年3月2日磁通量传输事件特性的研究

2001年3月2日11:00 至11:15 UT 期间,Cluster Ⅱ在南半球极尖区晨侧附近磁鞘内探测到3个通量传输事件（简称FTEs）. 本文利用Cluster Ⅱ星簇4颗卫星观测到的磁场和等离子体资料研究了这些通量传输事件的磁场形态和粒子特征. 并利用它们探测到的空间磁场梯度资料由安培定律直接求出星簇所在区域的电流分布. 结果指出：（1）BY占优势的行星际磁场结构在磁层顶的重联可以在极尖区附近发生;（2）FTEs通量管形成初期内外总压差和磁箍缩应力不一定平衡,达到平衡有一发展过程;（3）FTEs通量管截面在L M平面内的线度约为1.89RE;（4）FTEs通量管中等离子体主要沿轴向场方向流动,整个通量管以慢于背景等离子体的速度沿磁层顶向南向尾运动;（5）FTEs通量管中不仅有轴向电流,也存在环向电流. 轴向电流基本沿轴向磁场方向流动. 轴向和环向电流在管内均呈体分布,因而轴向电流产生的环向磁场接近管心时不断减小到零,而环向电流生成的轴向场则不断增大到极值;（6）在通量管的磁鞘部分观测到磁层能量粒子流量的增强,这表明通量管通过磁层顶将磁鞘和磁层内部连通起来了.     

Stationary magnetospheric convection on November 24, 1981. 2.Small-scale structures in the dayside cusp/cleft

A case study of the dayside cusp/cleft region during an interval of stationary magnetospheric convection (SMC) on November, 24, 1981 is presented, based on detailed measurements made by the AUREOL-3 satellite. Layered small-scale field-aligned current sheets, or loops, superimposed to a narrow V-shaped ion dispersion structure, were observed just equatorward from the region of the “cusp proper”. The equatorward sheet was accompanied by a very intense and short (less than 1 s) ion intensity spike at 100 eV. No major differences were noted of the characteristics of the LLBL, or “boundary cusp”, and plasma mantle precipitation during this SMC period from those typical of the cusp/cleft region for similar IMF conditions. Simultaneous NOAA-6 and NOAA-7 measurements described in Despirak et al. were used to estimate the average extent of the “cusp proper” (defined by dispersed precipitating ions with the energy flux exceeding 10⁻³ erg cm⁻² s⁻¹) during the SMC period, as ≈0.73∼ ILAT width, 2.6–3.4 h in MLT, and thus the recently merged magnetic flux, 0.54–0.70 × 10⁷ Wb. This, together with the average drift velocity across the cusp at the convection throat, ≈0.5 km s⁻¹, allowed to evaluate the cusp merging contribution to the total cross-polar cap potential difference, ≈33.8–43.8 kV. It amounts to a quite significant part of the total cross-polar cap potential difference evaluated from other data. A “shutter” scenario is suggested for the ion beam injection/penetration through the stagnant plasma region in the outer cusp to explain the pulsating nature of the particle injections in the low- and medium-altitude cusp region.     

Magnetopause stand-off distance in dependence on the magnetosheath and solar wind parameters

A model of the magnetosheath structure proposed in a recent paper from the authors is extended to estimate the magnetopause stand-off distance from solar wind data. For this purpose, the relationship of the magnetopause location to the magnetosheath and solar wind parameters is studied. It is shown that magnetopause erosion may be explained in terms of the magnetosheath magnetic field penetration into the magnetosphere. The coefficient of penetration (the ratio of the magnetospheric magnetic field depression to the intensity of the magnetosheath magnetic field B_mz = -B_m sin²/2, is estimated and found approximately to equal 1. It is shown that having combined a magnetosheath model presented in an earlier paper and the magnetosheath field penetration model presented in this paper, it is possible to predict the magnetopause stand-off distance from solar wind parameters.     

MHD model of magnetosheath flow: comparison with AMPTE/IRM observations on 24 October, 1985

We compare numerical results obtained from a steady-state MHD model of solar wind flow past the terrestrial magnetosphere with documented observations made by the AMPTE/IRM spacecraft on 24 October, 1985, during an inbound crossing of the magnetosheath. Observations indicate that steady conditions prevailed during this about 4 hour-long crossing. The magnetic shear at spacecraft entry into the magnetosphere was 15°. A steady density decrease and a concomitant magnetic field pile-up were observed during the 40 min interval just preceding the magnetopause crossing. In this plasma depletion layer (1) the plasma beta dropped to values below unity; (2) the flow speed tangential to the magnetopause was enhanced; and (3) the local magnetic field and velocity vectors became increasingly more orthogonal to each other as the magnetopause was approached (Phan et al., 1994). We model parameter variations along a spacecraft orbit approximating that of AMPTE/IRM, which was at slightly southern GSE latitudes and about 1.5 h postnoon Local Time. We model the magnetopause as a tangential discontinuity, as suggested by the observations, and take as input solar wind parameters those measured by AMPTE/IRM just prior to its bow shock crossing. We find that computed field and plasma profiles across the magnetosheath and plasma depletion layer match all observations closely. Theoretical predictions on stagnation line flow near this low-shear magnetopause are confirmed by the experimental findings. Our theory does not give, and the data on this pass do not show, any localized density enhancements in the inner magnetosheath region just outside the plasma depletion layer.     

Magnetopause boundary structure deduced from the high-time resolution particle experiment on the Equator-S spacecraft

An electrostatic analyser (ESA) onboard the Equator-S spacecraft operating in coordination with a potential control device (PCD) has obtained the first accurate electron energy spectrum with energies &7 eV-100 eV in the vicinity of the magnetopause. On 8 January, 1998, a solar wind pressure increase pushed the magnetopause inward, leaving the Equator-S spacecraft in the magnetosheath. On the return into the magnetosphere approximately 80 min later, the magnetopause was observed by the ESA and the solid state telescopes (the SSTs detected electrons and ions with energies &20–300 keV). The high time resolution (3 s) data from ESA and SST show the boundary region contains of multiple plasma sources that appear to evolve in space and time. We show that electrons with energies &7 eV–100 eV permeate the outer regions of the magnetosphere, from the magnetopause to &6Re. Pitch-angle distributions of &20–300 keV electrons show the electrons travel in both directions along the magnetic field with a peak at 90° indicating a trapped configuration. The IMF during this interval was dominated by Bx and By components with a small Bz.