Search Publications
Energetic electron response to ULF waves induced by interplanetary shocks in the outer radiation belt
Zong, Q. -G.; Daly, P. W.; Baker, D. N. +7 more
Strong interplanetary shock interactions with the Earth's magnetosphere have great impacts on energetic particle dynamics in the magnetosphere. An interplanetary shock on 7 November 2004 (with the maximum solar wind dynamic pressure of ∼70 nPa) was observed by the Cluster constellation to induce significant ULF waves in the plasmasphere boundary, …
Cluster and Double Star multipoint observations of a plasma bubble
Zhang, T. L.; Dandouras, I.; Lucek, E. +14 more
Depleted flux tubes, or plasma bubbles, are one possible explanation of bursty bulk flows, which are transient high speed flows thought to be responsible for a large proportion of flux transport in the magnetotail. Here we report observations of one such plasma bubble, made by the four Cluster spacecraft and Double Star TC-2 around 14:00 UT on 21 …
Energetic ion dynamics of the inner magnetosphere revealed in coordinated Cluster-Double Star observations
Cao, Jinbin; Dandouras, Iannis; Vallat, Claire
Since early 2004 the Chinese spacecraft Tan Ce 1 (TC-1), first component of the Double Star (DSP) mission, has been on an equatorial elliptical orbit (13.4 R E apogee), allowing the study of the dynamics of the Earth's magnetosphere in conjunction with the four European Cluster spacecraft (19.6 R E apogee). The Cluster an…
Reconnection at High Latitudes: Antiparallel Merging
Escoubet, C. P.; Dunlop, M. W.; Fear, R. C. +5 more
New investigations have renewed the debate on the occurrence of magnetic reconnection of Earth’s dayside magnetopause. Here, we show for the first time strong evidence for a high-latitude reconnection site, located on initially closed field lines, where the magnetic field orientations inside and outside the magnetopause are close to antiparallel. …
Simultaneous observations of flux transfer events by THEMIS, Cluster, Double Star, and SuperDARN: Acceleration of FTEs
Dandouras, I.; Fazakerley, A. N.; Milan, S. E. +3 more
We present simultaneous observations of flux transfer events (FTEs) made by the THEMIS and Cluster spacecraft on 3 May 2007, along with supporting observations of fast flows in the dayside ionosphere observed by the SuperDARN radar network. The THEMIS spacecraft were in a string-of-pearls formation approximately 20,000 km long and crossed the post…
Shape, size, velocity and field-aligned currents of dayside plasma injections: a multi-altitude study
Pitout, F.; Fazakerley, A. N.; Dunlop, M. W. +3 more
On 20 February 2005, Cluster in the outer magnetosphere and Double Star-2 (TC-2) at mid-altitude are situated in the vicinity of the northern cusp/mantle, with Cluster moving sunward and TC-2 anti-sunward. Their magnetic footprints come very close together at about 15:28 UT, over the common field-of-view of SuperDARN radars. Thanks to this conjunc…
Convective bursty flows in the near-Earth magnetotail inside 13 RE
Dunlop, M. W.; Baumjohann, W.; Carr, C. +8 more
With the 4-s resolution data of the magnetometer and the ion plasma analyzer on Double Star TC-1 from June to November of each year during the period of 2004-2006, we statistically analyzed the occurrence rate of both convective and field-aligned bursty flows (FABFs). In the region -13 RE < X < -9 RE, |Y| < 10 R…
Magnetosphere response to the 2005 and 2006 extreme solar events as observed by the Cluster and Double Star spacecraft
Cao, Jinbin; Escoubet, Philippe; Rème, Henri +1 more
The four identical Cluster spacecraft, launched in 2000, orbit the Earth in a tetrahedral configuration and on a highly eccentric polar orbit (4-19.6 RE). This allows the crossing of critical layers that develop as a result of the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth’s magnetosphere. Since 2004 the Chinese Double Star TC-1 a…
Deformation and evolution of solar wind discontinuities through their interactions with the Earth's bow shock
Dandouras, I.; Nakamura, R.; Lucek, E. A. +13 more
The present study examines the interaction of solar wind discontinuities with the Earth's bow shock, using multipoint observations in the magnetosheath by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms (THEMIS), Cluster, and Double Star TC1. We focus on the deformation and evolution of two discontinuities observed on 21 June 2…
Magnetosheath excursion and the relevant transport process at the magnetopause
Dandouras, I.; Rème, H.; Cao, J. B. +5 more
A large-amplitude excursion of the magnetosheath (MS) in quiet solar wind conditions on 17 March 2004 was recorded simultaneously by the Cluster and TC-1 spacecraft. During this period, the IMF Bz was entirely northward. The coherence between the bow shock motion and magnetopause (MP) motion is revealed and the excursion velocities of t…