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Register a new userNorth-south asymmetries in cold plasma density in the magnetotail lobes: Cluster observations
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In this paper, we present observations of cold (0-70 eV) plasma density in the magnetotail lobes. The observations and results are based on 16 years of Cluster observation of spacecraft potential measurements converted into local plasma densities. Measurements from all four Cluster spacecraft have been used, and the survey indicates a persistent asymmetry in lobe density, with consistently higher cold plasma densities in the northern lobe. External influences, such as daily and seasonal variations in the Earths tilt angle, can introduce temporary north-south asymmetries through asymmetric ionization of the two hemispheres. Likewise, external drivers, such as the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field can set up additional spatial asymmetries in outflow and lobe filling. The persistent asymmetry reported in this paper is also influenced by these external factors but is mainly caused by differences in magnetic field configuration in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere ionospheres.
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The Earths magnetotail is characterized by stretched magnetic field lines. Energetic particles are effectively scattered due to the field-line curvature, which then leads to isotropization of energetic particle distributions and particle precipitation to the Earths atmosphere. Measurements of these precipitation at low-altitude spacecraft are thus often used to remotely probe the magnetotail current sheet configuration. This configuration may include spatially localized maxima of the curvature radius at equator (due to localized humps of the equatorial magnetic field magnitude) that reduce the energetic particle scattering and precipitation. Therefore, the measured precipitation patterns are related to the spatial distribution of the equatorial curvature radius that is determined by the magnetotail current sheet configuration. In this study, we show that, contrary to previous thoughts, the magnetic field line configuration with the localized curvature radius maximum can actually enhance the scattering and subsequent precipitation. The spatially localized magnetic field dipolarization (magnetic field humps) can significantly curve magnetic field lines far from the equator and create off-equatorial minima in the curvature radius. Scattering of energetic particles in these off-equatorial regions alters the scattering (and precipitation) patterns, which has not been studied yet. We discuss our results in the context of remote-sensing the magnetotail current sheet configuration with low-altitude spacecraft measurements.
We study the number density distribution of a sample of K and M dwarf stars, matched North and South of the Galactic plane within a distance of 2 kpc from the sun, using observations from the Ninth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We determine distances using the photometric parallax method, and in this context systematic effects exist which could potentially impact the determination of the number density profile with height from the Galactic plane --- and ultimately affect a number density North-South asymmetry. They include: (i) the calibration of the various photometric parallax relations, (ii) the ability to separate dwarfs from giants in our sample, (iii) the role of stellar population differences such as age and metallicity, (iv) the ability to determine the offset of the sun from the Galactic plane, and (v) the correction for reddening from dust in the Galactic plane, though our stars are at high Galactic latitudes. We find the various analyzed systematic effects to have a negligible impact on our observed asymmetry, and using a new and larger sample of stars we confirm and refine the earlier discovery of Widrow et al. of a significant Galactic North-South asymmetry in the stellar number density distribution.
Low-energy ions of ionospheric origin constitute a significant contributor to the magnetospheric plasma population. Measuring cold ions is difficult though. Observations have to be done at sufficiently high altitudes and typically in regions of space where spacecraft attain a positive charge due to solar illumination. Cold ions are therefore shielded from the satellite particle detectors. Furthermore, spacecraft can only cover key regions of ion outflow during segments of their orbit, so additional complications arise if continuous longtime observations, such as during a geomagnetic storm, are needed. In this paper we suggest a new approach, based on a combination of synoptic observations and a novel technique to estimate the flux and total outflow during the various phases of geomagnetic storms. Our results indicate large variations in both outflow rates and transport throughout the storm. Prior to the storm main phase, outflow rates are moderate, and the cold ions are mainly emanating from moderately sized polar cap regions. Throughout the main phase of the storm, outflow rates increase and the polar cap source regions expand. Furthermore, faster transport, resulting from enhanced convection, leads to a much larger supply of cold ions to the near-Earth region during geomagnetic storms.
FMS modes are studied in the model of the magnetotail as a cylinder with plasma sheet. The presence of the plasma sheet leads to a significant modification of the modes existing in the magnetotail in the form of a cylinder with no plasma sheet. Azimuthal scales of the FMS modes differ significantly between the lobes and the plasma sheet. The azimuthal scale in the plasma sheet is much smaller than that in the magnetotail lobes. FMS waves with certain parameters are strongly reflected from the boundary between the lobes and the plasma sheet and are very weak in the plasma sheet.
Magnetic reconnection processes in the near-Earth magnetotail can be highly 3-dimensional (3D) in geometry and dynamics, even though the magnetotail configuration itself is nearly two dimensional due to the symmetry in the dusk-dawn direction. Such reconnection processes can be induced by the 3D dynamics of nonlinear ballooning instability. In this work, we explore the global 3D geometry of the reconnection process induced by ballooning instability in the near-Earth magnetotail by examining the distribution of quasi-separatrix layers associated with plasmoid formation in the entire 3D domain of magnetotail configuration, using an algorithm previously developed in context of solar physics. The 3D distribution of quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs) as well as their evolution directly follows the plasmoid formation during the nonlinear development of ballooning instability in both time and space. Such a close correlation demonstrates a strong coupling between the ballooning and the corresponding reconnection processes. It further confirms the intrinsic 3D nature of the ballooning-induced plasmoid formation and reconnection processes, in both geometry and dynamics. In addition, the reconstruction of the 3D QSL geometry may provide an alternative means for identifying the location and timing of 3D reconnection sites in magnetotail from both numerical simulations and satellite observations.
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