Current sheet thickness in the near-earth plasma sheet during substorm growth phase

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

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA095iA04p03819· OSTI ID:5152440

Sergeev, V A ^[1]; Tanskanen, P; Mursula, K ^[2]; Korth, A ^[3]; Elphic, R C ^[4]

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1. Leningrad State Univ. (USSR)
2. Univ. of Oulu (Finland)
3. Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Aeronomie, Katlenburg-Lindau (West Germany)
4. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)

Magnetic field measurements made in the Earth's tail region during the growth phases of substorms on May 23, 1979, by GEOS 2 and ISEE 1, and on June 23, 1979, by GEOS 2 and IMP-J, were used to model the magnetic configuration in the location conjugate to the Scandinavian riometer network. Toward the end of the growth phase the time variation of the magnetic configuration explains about observed equatorward moving band of energetic electron precipitation into the ionosphere to be caused by pitch angle scattering in the equatorial current sheet, the authors inferred the half thickness of the current sheet at r{approx} 9 R{sub E} as thin as 0.1 R{sub E} near the end of the growth phase. Combined with the modeled evolution of the magnetic configuration, this mechanism consistently explains the main features of the electron precipitation.

• OSTI ID: 5152440
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 95:A4; 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
AURORAL OVAL
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
CURRENTS
DIMENSIONS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRON PRECIPITATION
EXPLORER SATELLITES
GEOS SATELLITES
MAGNETIC BAYS
MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS
MAGNETOTAIL
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
SATELLITES
THICKNESS
VARIATIONS