Search Publications
Ion densities and magnetic signatures of dust pickup at Enceladus
Dougherty, Michele K.; Saur, Joachim; Kriegel, Hendrik +5 more
Encedalus' plume of charged dust has been shown to strongly modify the plasma structures. Therefore, we analyze the magnetic signatures of dust to constrain the dust plume. For the first time, the mutual feedback between the nanograins and their plasma environment is investigated. Our model combines plasma simulations by means of the A.I.K.E.F. (A…
Magnetic field topology for northward IMF reconnection: Ion observations
Lavraud, B.; Fuselier, S. A.; Trattner, K. J. +1 more
Ion observations from the Cluster spacecraft are used to investigate magnetopause reconnection for northward Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) conditions. When the spacecraft cross the magnetopause and enter the magnetosphere at low latitudes, equatorward of the magnetospheric cusps, multiple ion populations of magnetosheath origin are almost al…
Comparing the solar minima of cycles 22/23 and 23/24: The view from LASCO white light coronal images
Llebaria, A.; Lamy, P.; Floyd, O. +1 more
The Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph LASCO-C2 aboard SOHO has now completed 17 years (1996-2012) of quasi-continuous white-light imaging of the corona from 2.2 to 6.5 solar radii, thus allowing an unprecedented view of its evolution over a solar cycle and a half including the minima of solar cycles 22/23 and 23/24. The corrected and calib…
Direct calculation of the ring current distribution and magnetic structure seen by Cluster during geomagnetic storms
Baker, D. N.; Dunlop, M.; Liu, Z. X. +8 more
Magnetic disturbances caused by the Earth's ring current, particularly during storm time activity, have a dominant effect on the geomagnetic field. Strong currents and large kinetic and magnetic energies can change considerably local field geometry and depress the ground geomagnetic field. The multispacecraft magnetic measurements of Cluster allow…
Electric fields associated with dipolarization fronts
Parks, George K.; Zong, Qiu-Gang; Yao, Zhonghua +6 more
Electric fields associated with dipolarization fronts (DFs) have been investigated in the magnetotail plasma sheet using Cluster observations. We have studied each term in the generalized Ohm's law using data obtained from the multispacecraft Cluster. Our results show that in the plasma flow frame, electric fields are directed normal to the DF in …
Characteristic distribution and possible roles of waves around the lower hybrid frequency in the magnetotail reconnection region
Xu, Xiaojun; Yuan, Zhigang; Huang, Shiyong +5 more
It has long been suggested that waves around the lower hybrid frequency play a significant role in magnetic reconnection. In this paper we statistically study the distribution and possible roles of waves around lower hybrid frequency based on the wave data recorded by the Cluster spacecraft during 21 magnetotail reconnection events. We find that, …
Magnetosheath filamentary structures formed by ion acceleration at the quasi-parallel bow shock
Omidi, N.; Sibeck, D.; Gutynska, O. +1 more
Results from 2.5-D electromagnetic hybrid simulations show the formation of field-aligned, filamentary plasma structures in the magnetosheath. They begin at the quasi-parallel bow shock and extend far into the magnetosheath. These structures exhibit anticorrelated, spatial oscillations in plasma density and ion temperature. Closer to the bow shock…
Multi-instrument analysis of plasma parameters in Saturn's equatorial, inner magnetosphere using corrections for corrections for spacecraft potential and penetrating background radiation
Persoon, A. M.; Crary, F.; Mitchell, D. G. +4 more
We use a forward modeling program to derive one-dimensional isotropic plasma characteristics in Saturn's inner, equatorial magnetosphere using a novel correction for the spacecraft potential and penetrating background radiation. The advantage of this fitting routine is the simultaneous modeling of plasma data and systematic errors when operating o…
Hot magnetospheric O+ and cold ion behavior in magnetopause reconnection: Cluster observations
Liu, Y.; Kistler, L. M.; Mouikis, C. G. +2 more
In reconnection, the presence of heavy ions like O+ increases the ion mass density reducing the fluid's Alfvén speed. In addition, it may modify the reconnection structure, which can also change the reconnection rate. However, because O+ ions have a larger Larmor radii than H+ ions at the same velocity, they may no…
Characteristics of the flank magnetopause: Cluster observations
Tenfjord, P.; Haaland, S.; Maggiolo, R. +6 more
The magnetopause is a current sheet forming the boundary between the geomagnetic field on one side and the shocked solar wind on the other side. This paper discusses properties of the low-latitude dawn and dusk flanks of the magnetopause. The reported results are based on a large number of measurements obtained by the Cluster satellites during mag…