Search Publications

Effects on magnetic reconnection of a density asymmetry across the current sheet

André, M.; Khotyaintsev, Y.; Vaivads, A. +8 more

Magnetic configurations of the tilted current sheets in magnetotail

Malova, H. V.; Lucek, E.; Carr, C. +5 more

In this research, the geometrical structures of tilted current sheet and tail flapping waves have been analysed based on multiple spacecraft measurements and some features of the tilted current sheets have been made clear for the first time. The geometrical features of the tilted current sheet revealed in this investigation are as follows: (1) The…

Auroral current systems in Saturn's magnetosphere: comparison of theoretical models with Cassini and HST observations

Coates, A. J.; Dougherty, M. K.; Nichols, J. D. +7 more

The first simultaneous observations of fields and plasmas in Saturn's high-latitude magnetosphere and UV images of the conjugate auroral oval were obtained by the Cassini spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in January 2007. These data have shown that the southern auroral oval near noon maps to the dayside cusp boundary between open and…

What is the best method to calculate the solar wind propagation delay?

Haaland, S.; Mailyan, B.; Munteanu, C.

We present a statistical study of propagation times of solar wind discontinuities between Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft orbiting the L1 libration point and the Cluster quartet of spacecraft near the Earth's magnetopause. The propagation times for almost 200 events are compared with the predicted times from four different models. T…

Review on the solar spectral variability in the EUV for space weather purposes

Auchère, F.; Kretzschmar, M.; Dudok de Wit, T. +4 more

The solar XUV-EUV flux is the main energy source in the terrestrial diurnal thermosphere: it produces ionization, dissociation, excitation and heating. Accurate knowledge of this flux is of prime importance for space weather. We first list the space weather applications that require nowcasting and forecasting of the solar XUV-EUV flux. We then rev…

Plasma and fields in the wake of Rhea: 3-D hybrid simulation and comparison with Cassini data

Krupp, N.; Woch, J.; Fränz, M. +7 more

Rhea's magnetospheric interaction is simulated using a three-dimensional, hybrid plasma simulation code, where ions are treated as particles and electrons as a massless, charge-neutralizing fluid. In consistency with Cassini observations, Rhea is modeled as a plasma absorbing obstacle. This leads to the formation of a plasma wake (cavity) behind t…

Comparison of multi-point measurements of current sheet structure and analytical models

Malova, H. V.; Petrukovich, A. A.; Zelenyi, L. M. +5 more

Current density profiles of 22 thin current sheets, crossed by four Cluster spacecraft in the magnetotail are compared with the self-consistent model of anisotropic 1-D equilibrium, including several species of quasi-adiabatic (transient) ions and drifting electrons. In order to examine ion-scale features of the current density profile Cluster dat…

On the edge of the foreshock: model-data comparisons

Dandouras, I.; Lucek, E.; Omidi, N. +1 more

We present the results of a global hybrid code simulation for the solar wind-interaction with the Earth's magnetosphere during an interval of steady radial IMF. The model predicts a foreshock marked by innumerable localized, correlated, and large amplitude, density and magnetic field strength variations, depressed velocities, and enhanced temperat…

Relationship between solar wind corotating interaction regions and the phasing and intensity of Saturn kilometric radiation bursts

Cecconi, B.; Lamy, L.; Badman, S. V. +2 more

Voyager spacecraft measurements of Saturn kilometric radiation (SKR) identified two features of these radio emissions: that they pulse at a period close to the planetary rotation period, and that the emitted intensity is correlated with the solar wind dynamic pressure (Desch and Kaiser, 1981; Desch, 1982; Desch and Rucker, 1983). In this study the…

An assessment of the role of the centrifugal acceleration mechanism in high altitude polar cap oxygen ion outflow

Lundin, R.; Yamauchi, M.; Sauvaud, J. -A. +11 more

The role of the centrifugal acceleration mechanism for ion outflow at high altitude above the polar cap has been investigated. Magnetometer data from the four Cluster spacecraft has been used to obtain an estimate of magnetic field gradients. This is combined with ion moment data of the convection drift and the field-aligned particle velocity. Thu…