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Contribution of Anisotropic Electron Current to the Magnetotail Current Sheet as a Function of Location and Plasma Conditions
Petrukovich, A. A.; Russell, C. T.; Artemyev, A. V. +7 more
The magnetotail current sheet carries the current responsible for the largest fraction of the energy storage in the magnetotail, the magnetic energy in the lobes. It is thus inextricably linked with the dynamics and evolution of many magnetospheric phenomena, such as substorms. The magnetotail current sheet structure and stability depend mostly on…
Simultaneous Observations of ELF/VLF Rising-Tone Quasiperiodic Waves and Energetic Electron Precipitations in the High-Latitude Upper Ionosphere
Lei, Jungang; Zhima, Zeren; Huang, Jianping +12 more
The quasiperiodic (QP) waves accompanied by simultaneous energetic electron precipitations in the high-latitude ionosphere were recorded by the sun-synchronous circular orbit China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES). The new features of QP waves observed by CSES are the well-pronounced rising-tone structures and very short repetition periods,…
Multiscale MHD-Kinetic PIC Study of Energy Fluxes Caused by Reconnection
Lapenta, Giovanni; Berchem, Jean; Walker, Raymond +1 more
We present an analysis of the energy partitioning in the magnetotail during a substorm at 03:58:00 UT on 7 February 2009. The analysis employs a multiscale approach where we use a state from a global magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model to spawn a kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation of a large portion of the tail. We directly investigate the ene…
Ionosphere Feedback to Electron Scattering by Equatorial Whistler Mode Waves
Artemyev, A. V.; Runov, A.; Shen, Y. +5 more
Plasma sheet electron precipitation, much of it driven by whistler mode waves, is critical for magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. This precipitation leads to a secondary electron population at low altitudes, which moves upward along magnetic field lines to the equatorial plasma sheet. We investigate observational evidence for such electron precipi…
Jupiter's X-ray Emission During the 2007 Solar Minimum
Jackman, C. M.; Paranicas, C.; Ness, J. -U. +22 more
The 2007-2009 solar minimum was the longest of the space age. We present the first of two companion papers on Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray campaigns of Jupiter through February-March 2007. We find that low solar X-ray flux during solar minimum causes Jupiter's equatorial regions to be exceptionally X-ray dim (0.21 GW at minimum; 0.76 GW at maximum…
Prebreakup Arc Intensification due to Short Circuiting of Mesoscale Plasma Flows Over the Plasmapause
Mishin, Evgeny; Streltsov, Anatoly
The prebreakup arc at the inner edge of the auroral boundary is intensified upon arrival of an auroral streamer—the ionospheric signature of the earthbound mesoscale plasma flows (MPF). Yet the cause of electron precipitation enhancement only in this region remains unclear. We suggest that the intensified precipitation comes from the turbulent pla…
Low Geo-Effectiveness of Fast Halo CMEs Related to the 12 X-Class Flares in 2002
Bocchialini, K.; Schmieder, B.; Poedts, S. +4 more
It is generally accepted that extreme space weather events tend to be related to strong flares and fast halo coronal mass ejections (CMEs). In the present paper, we carefully identify the chain of events from the Sun to the Earth induced by all 12 X-class flares that occurred in 2002. In this small sample, we find an unusual high rate (58%) of sol…
The Global Distribution of Ultralow-Frequency Waves in Jupiter's Magnetosphere
Masters, A.; Manners, H.
Jupiter's giant magnetosphere is a complex system seldom in a configuration approximating steady state, and a clear picture of its governing dynamics remains elusive. Crucial to understanding how the magnetosphere behaves on a large scale are disturbances to the system on length-scales comparable to the cavity, which are communicated by magnetohyd…
Sequential Observations of Flux Transfer Events, Poleward-Moving Auroral Forms, and Polar Cap Patches
Russell, C. T.; Khotyaintsev, Y.; Fear, R. C. +17 more
We report the observation of solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions using a series of flux transfer events (FTEs) observed by Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission located near the dayside magnetopause on 18 December 2017. The FTEs were observed to propagate duskward and either southward or slightly northward, as predicted under duskwa…
Foreshock Cavities at Venus and Mars
Zhang, Tielong; Futaana, Yoshifumi; Frahm, Rudy +7 more
"Foreshock cavities" are regions of turbulent and heated solar wind plasma that form upstream of Earth's bow shock. Despite being common at Earth, none have yet been reported at other planets. Here we present a survey of events encountered by the ESA Venus Express spacecraft consistent with foreshock cavities at Venus and a case study of a foresho…