Search Publications
A comparative study of dipolarization fronts at MMS and Cluster
Russell, C. T.; Anderson, B. J.; Nakamura, R. +15 more
We present a statistical study of dipolarization fronts (DFs), using magnetic field data from MMS and Cluster, at radial distances below 12 RE and 20 RE, respectively. Assuming that the DFs have a semicircular cross section and are propelled by the magnetic tension force, we used multispacecraft observations to determine the …
Estimation of bounce resonant scattering by fast magnetosonic waves
Shprits, Yuri Y.
In this study we present calculation of bounce resonant scattering of near equatorially mirroring electrons by fast magnetosonic waves. We first explore the sensitivity of the scattering rates and estimated time scales to a different number of resonances included into calculations. We then explore the sensitivity of calculated rates to the assumed…
Cold ion heating at the dayside magnetopause during magnetic reconnection
Lavraud, B.; André, M.; Vaivads, A. +5 more
Cold ions of ionospheric origin are known to be present in the magnetospheric side of the Earth's magnetopause. They can be very abundant, with densities up to 100 cm-3. These cold ions can mass load the magnetosphere, changing global parameters of magnetic reconnection, like the Alfvén speed or the reconnection rate. In addition they i…
Mirror mode structures ahead of dipolarization front near the neutral sheet observed by Cluster
Zhang, T. L.; Nakamura, R.; Baumjohann, W. +4 more
Magnetic compressional structures ahead of a dipolarization front (DF) on 30 August 2002 are investigated by using Cluster data. Our findings are as follows: (1) the structures, observed near the neutral sheet, are mainly compressional and dominant in BZ; (2) they are almost nonpropagating relative to the local ion bulk flow and their l…
Transient, small-scale field-aligned currents in the plasma sheet boundary layer during storm time substorms
Russell, C. T.; Lavraud, B.; Anderson, B. J. +39 more
We report on field-aligned current observations by the four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft near the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) during two major substorms on 23 June 2015. Small-scale field-aligned currents were found embedded in fluctuating PSBL flux tubes near the separatrix region. We resolve, for the first time, short-lived …
Multispacecraft observations and modeling of the 22/23 June 2015 geomagnetic storm
Russell, C. T.; Anderson, B. J.; Nakamura, R. +9 more
The magnetic storm of 22-23 June 2015 was one of the largest in the current solar cycle. We present in situ observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) and the Van Allen Probes (VAP) in the magnetotail, field-aligned currents from AMPERE (Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response), and ionospheric flow data from…
Electric fields associated with small-scale magnetic holes in the plasma sheet: Evidence for electron currents
Stawarz, Julia E.; Goodrich, Katherine A.; Ergun, Robert E.
We report observations of magnetic holes (MHs) in the near-Earth (8 RE to 12 RE) plasma sheet that have physical sizes perpendicular to the magnetic field (B) on the order of the ion Larmor radius (ρi) and, more importantly, have current layers less than ρi in thickness. Small-scale MHs can have >90% …
Compressible turbulence with slow-mode waves observed in the bursty bulk flow of plasma sheet
Dunlop, M.; Cao, Jinbin; Fu, Huishan +2 more
In this paper, we report the evidence of compressible turbulence with slow-mode waves in a bursty bulk flow of plasma sheet. This compressible turbulence is characterized by a multiscale (1-60 s) anticorrelation between plasma density and magnetic field strength. Besides, the magnetic compressibility spectrum stays nearly constant at all the measu…
SAPS onset timing during substorms and the westward traveling surge
Mishin, Evgeny, V.
We present multispacecraft observations in the magnetosphere and conjugate ionosphere of the onset time of subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) and tens of keV ring current injections on the duskside in three individual substorms. This is probably the first unequivocal determination of the substorm SAPS onset timing. The time lag between the SAP…
Wave telescope technique for MMS magnetometer
Russell, C. T.; Glassmeier, K. -H.; Anderson, B. J. +18 more
Multipoint measurements are a powerful method in studying wavefields in space plasmas. The wave telescope technique is tested against magnetic field fluctuations in the terrestrial magnetosheath measured by the four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft on a spatial scale of about 20 km. The dispersion relation diagram and the wave vector dis…