Thick current sheets in the renovated model of the magnetosphere

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA089iA10p08949· OSTI ID:6236516

Atkinson, G

Earlier work using the observed location and direction of field-aligned currents to diagnose plasma distributions and magnetic field configurations in the outer magnetosphere is expanded to include thick adjacent current sheets mapping to the whole plasma sheet. Conclusions are as follows: (1) In the tail the total plasma content of flux tubes in the plasma sheet increases from its value on the midnight meridian in going toward both the dawn and the dusk flank. (2) There is a dusk to dawn component of convective flow across the tail with a value of the order of 10 kV. The field-aligned currents in the tail map to the nonsymmetric current sheets observed at ionospheric levels due to the distortion of field lines consistent with the current sheets. (3) In the near-earth plasma sheet the dusk to dawn convective flow component reverses to a westward flow before midnight, producing the Harang discontinuity. (4) Some of our basic ideas on magnetotail stability require rethinking.

• Research Organization: Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa
• OSTI ID: 6236516
• Journal Information: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States) Vol. 89:A10; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640203* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (-1987)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AURORAL OVAL
CURRENTS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTROJETS
GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS
HARANG DISCONTINUITY
IONOSPHERE
LATITUDE EFFECT
MAGNETOSPHERE
MAGNETOTAIL
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA DRIFT
VARIATIONS