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Magnetospheric response to 8-minute-period strong-amplitude upstream pressure variations. Technical report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5931898
This report documents a series of brief, strong (Deltap/ p = 1), dynamic pressure oscillations that occurred in the region upstream of the Earth's bow shock during a period of radial interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The analyzed set of oscillations, which may be either intrinsic solar wind or bow shock-related phenomena, recur approximately every 8 to 10 minutes, and their magnetic field signatures occur nearly simultaneously over great distances transverse to the Earth-sun line. The pressure oscillations appear to drive tailward-moving magnetopause surface wavelets. In turn, the surface wavelets can be identified as hydromagnetic waves with strong compressional components in the outer magnetosphere and as quasi-periodic variations in electron precipitation and high-latitude ground pulsations. We use observations by spacecraft in the outer dayside magnetosphere to predict geosynchronous and subsolar magnetic field strengths, the location of the subsolar magnetopause, the solar wind dynamic pressure, and variations in the energetic magnetospheric ion flux.
Research Organization:
Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA (USA). Laboratory Operations
OSTI ID:
5931898
Report Number(s):
AD-A-228038/6/XAB; TR--0089(4940-05)-1; CNN: F04701-88-C-0089
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English