Evidence for impulsive solar wind plasma penetration through the dayside magnetopause

Lundin, R.; Sauvaud, J. -A.; Balogh, A.; Dandouras, I.; Lavraud, B.; Klecker, B.; Kistler, L. M.; Rème, H.; Dunlop, M.; Bosqued, J. M.; Parks, G. K.; McCarthy, M.; Amata, E.; Korth, A.; Möbius, E.; Formisano, V.; Carlson, C.; Eliasson, L.

Abstract

This paper presents in situ observational evidence from the Cluster Ion Spectrometer (CIS) on Cluster of injected solar wind "plasma clouds" protruding into the day-side high-latitude magnetopause. The plasma clouds, presumably injected by a transient process through the day-side magnetopause, show characteristics implying a generation mechanism denoted impulsive penetration (Lemaire and Roth, 1978).

2003 Annales Geophysicae
Cluster 38