Location of the source of magnetospheric energetic particle bursts by multispacecraft observations
During a magnetic substorm on Oct. 16, 1973 a number of magnetospheric bursts of energetic particles were observed simultaneously by IMP-6 and IMP-7 in the magnetotail. Detailed anisotropy measurements of 210 and 290 keV protons provide for the first time an indication of the location of the source of the energetic magnetospheric particles as well as evidence for its movement with speeds from 30 to more than 80 km/sec, in association with the intensification of the westward auroral electrojet during a magnetic bay at the station closest to the local time of the spacecraft (also local midnight). The observations indicate that energetic particles are accelerated to greater than 1.85 MeV in a moving and localized region in the geomagnetotail.