Disruption of the magnetotial current sheet observed by AMPTE/CCE
The Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers/Charge Composition Explorer (AMPTE/CCE), with a small inclination of 4.8/sup 0/ and an apogee of approx.8.8 R/sub E/, is capable of exploring the dynamical behavior of the near-earth magnetotial current sheet during substorms. At approx.1153 UT on day 240 (August 28), 1986, the spacecraft was on the midplane of the magnetotail near midnight (approx.23.4 h LT) at a radial distance of approx.8 R/sub E/, when the onset of a substorm took place. The magnetic field data for the approx.3.5-min interval following the onset indicated a variation of the magnetic field that has not been observed by geostationary satellites or by other spacecraft flown in the near-earth tail (rapprox. <20 R/sub E/). The variation was characterized by a large-amplitude (from less than 10 nT to greater than 40 nT) oscillation of the total field with a period of approx.13 s and also by southward turning of the field during most cycles of the oscillation. At times the magnetic field became strongly southward, and in a few measurements the magnitude of the southward component exceeded 20 nT. The level of high-frequency perturbations (period shorter than approx.10 s) was also enhanced during the event. The observations may be due to the formation of an X-type neutral line and its motion near the spacecraft. copyright American Geophysical Union 1987
- Research Organization:
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland 20707
- OSTI ID:
- 5647469
- Journal Information:
- Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States), Vol. 14:10
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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