Ion distributions at the dayside magnetopause

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/91JA00676· OSTI ID:5256969

Smith, M F ^[1]; Rodgers, D J ^[2]

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1. Southwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX (USA)
2. Mullard Space Science Lab., Surrey (England)

The authors present ion phase space distributions, from the AMPTE UKS ion instrument, for a crossing of the dayside magnetopause on October 2, 1984, during typical southward IMF conditions. They observed D-shaped field-aligned phase space distributions of magnetosheath plasma earthward of and hot magnetospheric ions sunward of the magnetopause current layer. The existence of such D-shaped magnetosheath plasma distributions has been predicted as a signature of reconnection. In addition, the observed ion distributions are in stress balance across the magnetopause, and the de Hoffman-Teller frame velocity obtained from the stress balance calculation is in agreement with the observed distribution function cutoff speed. These new observations thus provide further evidence that, at least for southward IMF conditions, reconnection is an important mechanism by which solar wind plasma penetrates into the magnetosphere.

• OSTI ID: 5256969
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 96:A7; 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
CHARGED PARTICLES
DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
FUNCTIONS
GEOMAGNETIC FIELD
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
IONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETOPAUSE
MAGNETOSHEATH
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
PHASE SPACE
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA DRIFT
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND
SPACE