Substorms, plasmoids, flux ropes, and magnetotail flux loss on March 25, 1983: CDAW 8

Journal Article · Wed Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA094iA11p15135· OSTI ID:6935183

Fairfield, D H; Baker, D N; Slavin, J A ^[1]; Craven, J D; Frank, L A ^[2]; Elphic, R C ^[3]; Fennell, J F ^[4]; Richardson, I G ^[5]; Singer, H J ^[6]; Tsurutani, B T ^[7]; Zwickl, R D ^[8]

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1. Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland (USA)
2. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa (USA)
3. University of California at Los Angeles, California (USA)
4. Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, California (USA)
5. Imperial College, London, England (UK)
6. Air Force Geophysics Laboratory, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts (USA)
7. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California (USA)
8. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico (USA)

During a 9-hour period following a storm sudden commencement on March 25, 1983, six spacecraft near geosynchronous orbit, one over the pole, and three in the magnetotail monitored a complex sequence of magnetospheric variations. Magnetic field compressions associated with the sudden commencement were seen first by the three downtail spacecraft with increasing time delays that were consistent with the tailward movement of an interplanetary-shock- associated pressure enhancement. Ground magnetograms and synchronous orbit data are used to identify seven substorm intensifications during this geomagnetically active period. Six of these intensifications are clearly associated with tail lobe field decreases {similar to}18 R{sub E} behind the Earth. Four of these intensifications are followed by both B{sub z} field increases in the tail lobes at {similar to}18 and {similar to}30 R{sub E} and by the subsequent observation of rapidly flowing plasma sheet plasma at ISEE 3 {similar to}110 R{sub E} down the tail. During two substorms where DE 1 was optically observing the auroral oval, the area of the polar cap was observed to decrease as the tail lobe field decreased at 18 R{sub E}. All these observations are consistent with the substorm-associated release of a plasmoid at a neutral line near 20 R{sub E}; however, the classical north-south variation of the plasma sheet magnetic field thought to be characteristic of the passage of a plasmoid in the deep tail was not seen in every case. {copyright} American Geophysical Union 1989

• OSTI ID: 6935183
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA) Vol. 94:A11; 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
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FLUX
MAGNETIC STORMS
MAGNETOTAIL
PLASMOIDS
PRESSURE GRADIENTS
SHOCK WAVES
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND
VARIATIONS