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At least 289 records · Page 16

Disruption of the magnetotail current sheet observed by AMPTE/CCE

An unusual large-amplitude (from less than 10 nT to greater than 40 nT) magnetic oscillation characterized by about-13-sec periodicity and southward turnings of the field was observed by AMPTE/CCE on August 28, 1986. The magnetic field was often stronger southward, with some southward components exceeding 20 nT being noted. The level of the high frequency perturbations was also seen to be enhanced. It is suggested that these observations may be due to the formation of an X-type neutral line and its motion near the spacecraft.

Takahashi, K.↗

Current sheet crossings in the distant magnetotail

A computer search of crossings of the field reversal region in the middle of the distant magnetotail has been done with ISEE-3 data. It is found that the instantaneous direction of the magnetic field at the crossings Bz is northward on average at a distance of 220 earth radii, with moderate values of the plasma flow. This result suggests that the magnetic field lines are closed; since the flow is tailward, the Dungey (1961) model with a steady state reconnection line across the magnetotail earthward of the spacecraft is invalidated. The present result gives strong support to a model in which tailward boundary layer flow provides the viscous interaction proposed by Axford and Hines (1961). At higher values of the plasma velocity, negative values of Bz are found.

Heikkila, W. J.↗

Quasi-steady current sheet structures with field-aligned flow

The paper discusses the characteristics of quasi-steady plasma and field structures with field-aligned flow. Explicit solutions are developed for modeling the compressible flow around a plasmoid in the distant magnetotail. The expected and observed plasmoid signatures are found. Field signatures outside the plasmoid are typically those of encounters of traveling compression region: a north-south signature of Bz accompanied by an enhancement of Bx.

Birn, J.↗

Coronal Hole-Active Region-Current Sheet (CHARCS) Association with Intense Interplanetary and Geomagnetic Activity

Intense geomagnetic storms (Dst<or equal to -100nT) have been associated with interplanetary structures involving large-intensity (B(sub 3)<or equal to 10nT) and long-duration (T< or equal to 3 hours) values of the southward component of the IMF. We show that near solar maximum, the solar origin of such structures seems to be associated with active regions(flares and/or filament eruptions) ocurring close to the streamer belt and to growing low altitude coronal holes. It is also shown that such type of coronal holes had a dual-peak solar cycle distribution during solar cycle 21, similar to that previously reported for the above mentioned interplanetary and geomagnetic phenomena.

geomagnetic storms IMF solar maximum flares filame↗

Suppression of Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection in Asymmetric Current Sheets

Using fully kinetic simulations, we study the suppression of asymmetric reconnection in the limit where the diamagnetic drift speed >> Alfven speed and the magnetic shear angle is moderate. We demonstrate that the slippage between electrons and the magnetic flux mitigates the suppression and can even result in fast reconnection that lacks one of the outflow jets. Through comparing a case where the diamagnetic drift is supported by the temperature gradient with a companion case that has a density gradient instead, we identify a robust suppression mechanism. The drift of the x-line is slowed down locally by the asymmetric nature of the x-line, and then the x-line is run over and swallowed by the faster-moving following flux.

Magnetic↗