Evidence for current sheet acceleration in the geomagnetic tail

Journal Article · Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1982 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA087iA04p02276· OSTI ID:5128073

Lyons, L R; Speiser, T W

The existence of the current sheet and the dawn to dusk electric field in the geomagnetic tail implies there is particle energization in the tail current sheet of the order 2--10% of the total solar wind energy incident upon the dayside magnetopause. In this paper we determine that ion acceleration in a current sheet with a small magnetic field across the sheet, via single-particle motion which violates the guiding center approximation, can account for this large energization in the tail. We calculate the distribution of accelerated ions which result from the urrent sheet acceleration and compare the results with distributions of accelerated ions frequently observed flowing earthwards along the outer boundary of the plasma sheet. The comparison indicates that the observed earthward flowing ions result from current sheet acceleration. Comparison with measurements of auroral ion predictions at low precipitation at low altitudes implies that the accelerated ions ejected from the current sheet are also an important source of auroral ion precipitation. In addition, these acceletated ions may be an important source of plasma sheet ions.

• Research Organization: Space Environment Laboratory, NOA-A Environmental Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado 80303
• OSTI ID: 5128073
• Journal Information: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Vol. 87:A4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MAGNETOTAIL
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
IONS
ACCELERATION
ELECTRIC FIELDS
GEOMAGNETIC FIELD
MAGNETOPAUSE
PLASMA SHEET
SOLAR WIND
CHARGED PARTICLES
CURRENTS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOSPHERE
SOLAR ACTIVITY
640203* - Atmospheric Physics- Magnetospheric Phenomena- (-1987)