Observations of reconnected flux tubes within the midaltitude cusp

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

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA095iA06p08037· OSTI ID:5376357

Saflekos, N A ^[1]; Burch, J L ^[2]; Sugiura, M ^[3]; Gurnett, D A ^[4]; Horwitz, J L ^[5]

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1. Univ. of Texas, San Antonio (USA)
2. Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX (USA)
3. Kyoto Univ. (Japan)
4. Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City (USA)
5. Univ. of Alabama, Huntsville (USA)

Dynamics Explorer 1 observations within the midaltitude polar cusp provide indirect evidence of reconnected flux tubes (RFT) envisioned to be extensions of the flux transfer events reportedly found near the magnetopause. In this study, low-energy plasma, high-energy plasma, magnetic fields, and electric fields were used to identify the signatures of reconnected flux tubes in the midaltitude cusp. Inside isolated flux tubes, low-energy plasma was observed to be transferred from the magnetosheath to the magnetosphere, and relatively hot plasma was observed to be transferred from the magnetosphere to the magnetosheath. The cool magnetosheath plasma and the relatively hot magnetospheric plasma shared the same magnetic flux tube. The RFT signature is most easily identified in electron and ion energy fluxes plotted versus time for all pitch angles. The characteristics of spatial scale, time duration, and frequency of occurrence between flux transfer events and midaltitude cusp reconnected flux tubes are consistent, although they differ in the direction of motion. However, the merging cell topology and the interplanetary magnetic field B{sub y} effect can explain this difference. Larger-scale (space and time) events can be explained by motion of the cusp resulting from a quasi-steady reconnection process. The field-aligned currents associated with reconnected flux tubes are midaltitudes within the cusp are consistent with twisting of magnetic field lines and with closure by Pedersen currents. It is possible that what appear to be field-aligned currents closing by Pedersen ionospheric currents may also be interpreted as currents carried by Alfven waves.

• OSTI ID: 5376357
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 95:A6; 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
ALFVEN WAVES
ALTITUDE
CURRENTS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EXPLORER SATELLITES
FERMIONS
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
IONOSPHERE
LEPTONS
MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FLUX
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETOPAUSE
MAGNETOSHEATH
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
POLAR CUSP
SATELLITES
TOPOLOGY