Anomalous aspects of magnetosheath flow and of the shape and oscillations of the magnetopause during an interval of strongly northward interplanetary magnetic field

Journal Article · Thu Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/92JA02263· OSTI ID:6584334

Chen, Shenghsien; Kivelson, M G; Walker, R J ^[1]; Gosling, J T ^[2]; Lazarus, A J ^[3]

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1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles (United States)
2. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge (United States)

The authors address the question of the flow of the magnetosheath, and its coupling to the magnetopause, in particular along the flanks of the magnetotail. There was a greater than 12 hour period on February 15, 1978, when the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field remained northward. Several satellites observed this occurance. The ISEE 1 and 2 satellites were on the dawnside edge of the magnetotail. IMP 8 was on the duskside edge of the magnetosheath almost symmetric from the ISEE satellites. IMP 7 was at an upsteam location in the solar wind. The authors use plasma and magnetic field measurement data to propose a model which they then support with three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations. They observe that the flow speed of the magnetosheath on the edges of the magnetotail exceeds the solar wind speed by roughly 20%. Plasma surface wave with roughly 5 minute periods were observed in the magnetopause and magnetosphere. Flaring of the magnetotail ceased at an antisunward distance of roughly 15R[sub E].

• OSTI ID: 6584334
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 98:A4; ISSN JGREA2; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COUPLING
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOPAUSE
MAGNETOSHEATH
MAGNETOTAIL
ORIENTATION
PLASMA
PLASMA DRIFT
PLASMA WAVES
SATELLITES
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND