Search Publications
Thin electron-scale layers at the magnetopause
Fazakerley, A. N.; André, M.; Vaivads, A. +2 more
We use data from the four Cluster satellites to examine the microphysics of a thin electron-scale layer discovered on the magnetospheric side of the magnetopause. Here the ion and electron motions are decoupled in a layer about 20 km (a few electron scales) wide, including currents and strong electric fields. In this layer the electrons are E × B …
Tracking a major interplanetary disturbance with SMEI
Price, S.; Simnett, G. M.; Webb, D. F. +14 more
We present the first clear observations of an Earth-directed interplanetary disturbance tracked by the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI). We find that this event can be related to two halo CMEs seen at the Sun about 2 days earlier, and which merged in transit to 1 AU. The disturbance was seen about 16 hours before it reached Earth,and caused a sev…
Multi-fluid simulations of Ganymede's magnetosphere
Paty, Carol; Winglee, Robert
Comparative studies of 3D multi-fluid simulations with Galileo magnetometer data are used to develop a quantitative model of the currents and fields within Ganymede's magnetosphere as well as its bulk plasma environment. The model includes contributions from Jupiter's magnetosphere and the flux of different ion species originating from Ganymede's …
Multi-spacecraft observations of diffuse ions upstream of Earth's bow shock
Klecker, B.; Kistler, L. M.; Lucek, E. A. +6 more
We report on simultaneous measurements of energetic ions upstream of Earth's quasi-parallel bow shock by Cluster during a 10 hour time period when the inter-spacecraft separation distance was between ~1 and ~1.5 Re. Using a bow shock model we determined for each 32 s averaged data set the distance of the Cluster 1 and Cluster 3 spacecra…
Solar EUV irradiance variability derived from terrestrial far ultraviolet dayglow observations
Judge, D. L.; Meier, R. R.; Lean, J. L. +7 more
Remotely sensed ultraviolet emissions from the Earth's upper atmosphere are shown to mirror fluctuations in solar EUV irradiance during July 2002, including the overall increase and decrease as the Sun rotated, and episodic increases associated with multiple solar flares. The TIMED/GUVI dayglow observations are used to derive a new quantity, Q
Reinterpretation of mirror modes as trains of slow magnetosonic solitons
Stasiewicz, Krzysztof
It is shown that large amplitude periodic oscillations of the magnetic field measured frequently by spacecraft in the magnetosheath, and interpreted as mirror-mode waves/structures, represent trains of slow-mode magnetosonic solitons. Nonlinear magnetosonic wave-trains with properties attributed previously to mirror-mode structures are obtained as…
Cluster survey of cusp reconnection and its IMF dependence
Lavraud, B.; Rème, H.; Dunlop, M. +3 more
We have surveyed the occurrence of tailward-of-the-cusp reconnection detected by Cluster as a function of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) clock angle. The survey covers 3 years (2001-2003) of cusp and magnetopause (MP) crossings and is restricted to periods of relatively stable IMF. Our survey indicates that the reconnection associated pla…
Geometry of an interplanetary CME on October 29, 2003 deduced from cosmic rays
Marubashi, K.; Bieber, J. W.; Evenson, P. +16 more
A coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with an X17 solar flare reached Earth on October 29, 2003, causing an ~11% decrease in the intensity of high-energy Galactic cosmic rays recorded by muon detectors. The CME also produced a strong enhancement of the cosmic ray directional anisotropy. Based upon a simple inclined cylinder model, we use the an…
Solitary structures associated with short large-amplitude magnetic structures (SLAMS) upstream of the Earth's quasi-parallel bow shock
Balogh, A.; Pickett, J. S.; André, M. +4 more
For the first time, solitary waves (SWs) have been observed within short large-amplitude magnetic structures (SLAMS) upstream of the Earth's quasi-parallel bow shock. The SWs often occur as bipolar pulses in the electric field data and move parallel to the background magnetic field at velocities of v = 400-1200 km/s. They have peak-to-peak amplitu…
Detection of the southern counterpart of the Jovian northern polar cusp: Shared properties
Prangé, Renée; Pallier, Laurent
A transient auroral feature in the northern (N) polar region of Jupiter, referred to as an `auroral flare' [Waite et al., 2001], or as the N polar cusp [Pallier and Prangé, 2001], strangely seemed to lack any southern (S) counterpart. Here, using a new HST/STIS dataset, we find a similar bright spot in the south. We suggest that both features are …