A mechanism for the generation of cusp region hydromagnetic waves

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA093iA07p07578· OSTI ID:5256225

Lee, L C; Shi, Y ^[1]; Lanzerotti, L J ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks (USA)
2. AT and T Bell Lab., Murray Hill, NJ (USA)

It is suggested that the existence of a sporadic multiple X line reconnection (MXR) process at the dayside magnetopause could be a source of energy to produce ULF hydromagnetic waves (f{approximately}1-10 mHz) in the dayside magnetopause cusp region. The MXR process is characterized by the repeated formation and convection of magnetic islands and elongated plasma clouds, which compress and distort the adjacent closed geomagnetic field lines. This leads in a natural way to the generation of Ulf waves with frequencies in the range 1-10 mHz along cusp geomagnetic field lines. These waves are expected to be approximately linearly polarized, dominated by variations in the azimuthal magnetic field component near the resonant closed field lines in the magnetosphere. In addition, the field-aligned currents associated with the MXR process may generate the impulsive magnetic field variations often observed to accompany the continuous variations in the ULF band. Hence the reconnection process may be an additional mechanism, together with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and direct penetration of upstream waves, for the production of hydromagnetic energy in the dayside magnetosphere.

• DOE Contract Number: FG06-86ER13530
• OSTI ID: 5256225
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 93:A7; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
POLAR CUSP
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES
CONVECTION
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
GEOMAGNETIC FIELD
HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY
MAGNETIC ISLANDS
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETOPAUSE
VARIATIONS
CURRENTS
ENERGY TRANSFER
HEAT TRANSFER
INSTABILITY
MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MASS TRANSFER
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
640201* - Atmospheric Physics- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena