The average tangential electric field at the noon magnetopause

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA095iA10p17137· OSTI ID:5027183

Lindqvist, P A ^[1]; Mozer, F S ^[2]

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1. Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden)
2. Univ. of California, Berkeley (United States)

The tangential electric field at the magnetopause in the magnetopause frame of reference has been estimated for 205 magnetopause crossings of the ISEE 1 satellite within 2 hours of local noon during 1977-1981. At most of these crossings, time variations of the electric field caused its fluctuations to be large compared with its mean value. This implies both that variations of the field (due, for example, to time varying reconnection) may be of fundamental significance, and that statistical analyses of a large number of crossings are required to determine the average dependence of the tangential electric field at the magnetopause on the magnetosheath magnetic field. A generalized least squares method, which takes into account uncertainties in both the electric and magnetic field measurements, has been developed and applied to the data. The results indicate that, on the average, reconnecton occurs at the subsolar magnetopause; that the average reconnecton flow speed of magnetosheath plasma toward the magnetopause is 20{sup +14}{sub {minus}6} km/s (which is about 15% of the local Alfven speed); and that the dependence of the average tangential electric field at the magnetopause on the magnetosheath north-south magnetic field is sufficient to account for a major part of the magnetospheric potential and convection.

• OSTI ID: 5027183
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 95:A10; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONVECTION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ENERGY TRANSFER
EVALUATION
EXPLORER SATELLITES
FLUCTUATIONS
HEAT TRANSFER
LEAST SQUARE FIT
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETOPAUSE
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICS
MAXIMUM-LIKELIHOOD FIT
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
SATELLITES
STATISTICS
VARIATIONS