On nonsinusoidal waves at the earth's magnetopause

Journal Article · Tue Dec 14 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/93GL02622· OSTI ID:5020000

Chen, S H; Kivelson, M G ^[1]

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1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

The authors have examined ISEE 1 and 2 data during an interval of multiple magnetopause crossings along the flanks of the tail on January 22, 1978. During the event the interplanetary magnetic field was mainly northward. They found that the surface waves on the magnetopause were nonsinusodial with steepened sunward facing surfaces. This result is consistent with observations reported for an analogous event by Chen et al. The dawn-dusk electric field E in the low-latitude boundary layer was [approximately]10 kV/R[sub E] which is much greater than the [approximately]l kV/R[sub E] dawn-dusk E field typical of the sunward convecting plasma sheet plasma. The ratio of the dawn-dusk E field in the LLBL to the dusk-dawn E in the magnetosheath was [approximately]1/3. The authors propose that the magnetic field in the magnetosheath modulates the wave form in a way that may result in an anomalous transport of momentum across the magnetopause.

• OSTI ID: 5020000
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States) Vol. 20:23; ISSN GPRLAJ; ISSN 0094-8276
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BOUNDARY LAYERS
DISTURBANCES
ELECTRIC FIELDS
LAYERS
MAGNETOPAUSE
MAGNETOSHEATH