Observations of significant magnetosheath antisolar energy flow

Journal Article · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1979 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA084iA05p02105· OSTI ID:5981445

Williams, D J

Evidence for significant but sporadic magnetosheath energy flows in the antisolar direction is presented, using observations of 50 to 220-keV ions made by the NOAA/Applied Physics Laboratory energetic particle experiment on the Imp 7 satellite. The observations have been made in the dawn and dusk magnetosheath at distances of approx.35R/sub E/ from the earth and cover a wide range of Z/sub S/M. Direct observations of 50-to 220-keV ions yield an energy flow for the case studied of 2(10)/sup 3/-2(10)/sup 2/ erg/cm/sup 2/ s. By using a somewhat arbitrary but reasonable magnetosheath area based on 1 year of synoptic survey of such flows a total magnetosheath > or =50-keV ion energy flow of > or approx. =10/sup 18/ ergs/s is obtained. Reasonable spectral extrapolations yield somewhat larger total flows. These values indicate that ions carry at least an equal portion of the energetic particle magnetosheath energy flow as the extrapolated >1-keV electron flow obtained by Baker and Stone (1977). Possible sources of this energy flow include dissipation processes due to a magnetopause electric field, leakage of magnetospheric particles through the magnetopause into the magnetosheath, bow shock acceleration, and magnetosheath acceleration.

• Research Organization: NOAA Space Environment Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado 80303
• OSTI ID: 5981445
• Journal Information: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Vol. 84:A5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MAGNETOSHEATH
PLASMA DRIFT
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ENERGY LOSSES
ENERGY SPECTRA
IMP SATELLITES
ION TEMPERATURE
MAGNETOPAUSE
PLASMA ACCELERATION
ACCELERATION
LOSSES
SATELLITES
SPECTRA
640203* - Atmospheric Physics- Magnetospheric Phenomena- (-1987)