Search Publications
Asymmetry in the current sheet and secondary magnetic flux ropes during guide field magnetic reconnection
Fujimoto, M.; Zhang, Tielong; Khotyaintsev, Yuri V. +15 more
A magnetic reconnection event with a moderate guide field encountered by Cluster in the near-Earth tail on 28 August 2002 is reported. The guide field points dawnward during this event. The quadrupolar structure of the Hall magnetic field within the ion diffusion region is distorted toward the northern hemisphere in the earthward part while toward…
Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at Saturn's magnetopause: Cassini ion data analysis
Wilson, R. J.; Delamere, P. A.; Bagenal, F. +1 more
On 13 December 2004 Cassini, on approach to Saturn from the dawn flank, crossed the magnetopause multiple times. During these events the plasma spectrometer had a good field of view of both the magnetospheric and magnetosheath plasmas that often flow in nearly opposite directions (compared with more typical orientations that only allow one regime …
Cassini in Titan's tail: CAPS observations of plasma escape
Lewis, G. R.; Coates, A. J.; Thomsen, M. F. +10 more
We present observations of CAPS electron and ion spectra during Titan distant tail crossings at 5,000-10,000 km altitude by the Cassini spacecraft. In common with closer tail encounters, we identify ionospheric plasma in the tail. Some of the electron spectra indicate a direct magnetic connection to Titan's dayside ionosphere due to the presence o…
The morphology of Saturn's ultraviolet aurora
Carbary, J. F.
Spectrographic images in the far ultraviolet, obtained from observations made from 2007 to 2009, are used to quantify and compare the morphology of Saturn's northern and southern aurora in local time. Made by the UVIS imager on the Cassini spacecraft, these observations differ from previous UV observations of Saturn's aurora by offering complete l…
Survival of flux transfer event (FTE) flux ropes far along the tail magnetopause
Eastwood, J. P.; Fear, R. C.; Phan, T. D. +4 more
During intervals of southward IMF, magnetic reconnection can result in the formation of flux transfer events (FTEs) on the dayside magnetopause which travel along the magnetopause in the anti-sunward direction. Of particular interest is their fate and the role they play transporting solar wind plasma into the magnetosphere. We present the discover…
Nonstorm time scattering of ring current protons by electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves
Xiao, Fuliang; Yang, Chang; Zhou, Qinghua +4 more
We report correlated observation of enhanced electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and dynamic evolution of ring current proton flux collected by Cluster satellite near the location L = 4.5 during March 26-27, 2003, a nonstorm period (Dst> -10). Energetic (5-30 keV) proton fluxes are found to drop rapidly (e.g., a half hour) at …
Enhanced atmospheric oxygen outflow on Earth and Mars driven by a corotating interaction region
Barabash, S.; Lundin, R.; Woch, J. +10 more
Solar wind controls nonthermal escape of planetary atmospheric volatiles, regardless of the strength of planetary magnetic fields. For both Earth with a strong dipole and Mars with weak remnant fields, the oxygen ion (O+) outflow has been separately found to be enhanced during corotating interaction region (CIR) passage. Here we compare…
Dayside magnetic topology at the Earth's magnetopause for northward IMF
Lavraud, B.; Fuselier, S. A.; Trattner, K. J. +1 more
When the Interplanetary Magnetic Field is northward, magnetic reconnection occurs at the Earth's high latitude magnetopause in regions poleward of the Earth's magnetospheric cusps. Observations at the high latitude magnetopause appear to support reconnection poleward of both northern and southern hemisphere cusps, forming closed field lines in the…
Hot flow anomalies at Venus
Coates, A. J.; Barabash, S.; Zhang, T. L. +8 more
We present a multi-instrument study of a hot flow anomaly (HFA) observed by the Venus Express spacecraft in the Venusian foreshock, on 22 March 2008, incorporating both Venus Express Magnetometer and Analyzer of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA) plasma observations. Centered on an interplanetary magnetic field discontinuity with inward co…
The discrepancy in solar EUV-proxy correlations on solar cycle and solar rotation timescales and its manifestation in the ionosphere
Liu, Libo; Wan, Weixing; Chen, Yiding
This study investigates the correlations between SOHO/Solar EUV Monitor 26-34 nm EUV and the F10.7 and Mg II proxies on solar cycle (long-term) and solar rotation (short-term) timescales. The long-term components of EUV and proxies are well correlated, and the general relation between them can be captured by the 81 day averaged EUV and …