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Electric currents flowing through near-Earth space (R ≤12RE) can support a highly distorted magnetic field topology, changing particle drift paths and therefore having a nonlinear feedback on the currents themselves. A number of current systems exist in the magnetosphere, most commonly defined as (1) the dayside magnetopause Chapman-Ferraro currents, (2) the Birkeland field-aligned currents with highlatitude "region 1" and lower-latitude "region 2" currents connected to the partial ring current, (3) the magnetotail currents, and (4) the symmetric ring current. In the near-Earth nightside region, however, several of these current systems flow in close proximity to each other. Moreover, the existence of other temporal current systems, such as the substorm current wedge or "banana" current, has been reported. It is very difficult to identify a local measurement as belonging to a specific system. Such identification is important, however, because how the current closes and how these loops change in space and time governs the magnetic topology of the magnetosphere and therefore controls the physical processes of geospace. Furthermore, many methods exist for identifying the regions of near-Earth space carrying each type of current. This study presents a robust collection of these definitions of current systems in geospace, particularly in the near- Earth nightside magnetosphere, as viewed from a variety of observational and computational analysis techniques. The influence of definitional choice on the resulting interpretation of physical processes governing geospace dynamics is presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ion composition experiment on Cluster measures 3-D distributions in one spin of the spacecraft (4 s). These distributions often measure field-aligned ion beams (H+, He+ and O+) accelerated out of the ionosphere. The standard model of these beams relies on a quasi-static Ushaped potential model. The beams contain important information about the structure and distribution of the U-shaped potential structures. For example, a simple beam with a narrow velocity range tells us that the particles are accelerated going through a quasi-static U-shaped potential structure localized in space. A more complex beam with a large range of velocities varying smoothly (a few tens of kilometers per second to >100 km s-1) tells us that the potential structure is extended and distributed along the magnetic field. The Cluster experiment has now revealed new features about the beams. Some beams are broken into many individual structures each with their own velocity. The U-shaped potential model would interpret the new features in terms of particles accelerated by narrow isolated potential structures maintained over an extended region of the magnetic field. Another interpretation is that these features arise as Cluster traverses toward the center of a small-scale U-shaped potential region detecting particles accelerated on different equipotential contours. The estimate of the distance of the adjacent contours is ~590-610m at a Cluster height of ~3.5RE. The observed dimensions map to ~ 295-305m in the ionosphere, suggesting Cluster has measured the potential structure of an auroral arc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous observations have shown that ions flow out of the ionosphere during substorms with more fluxes leaving as the substorm intensity increases (Wilson et al., 2004). In this article we show observations of low-energy (few tens of electron volts) ionospheric ions flowing out periods without substorms, determined using the Wideband Imaging Camera (WIC) and Auroral Electrojet (AE) indices. We use Cluster ion composition data and show the outflowing ions are field-aligned H+, He+ and O+ beams accelerated to energies of ~ 40-80 eV, after correcting for spacecraft potential. The estimated fluxes of the low-energy O+ ions measured at ~ 20 000 km altitude are > 103-105 cm-2 s. Assuming the auroral oval is the source of the escaping ions, the measured fluxes correspond to a flow rate of ~ 1019-1021 ions s-1 leaving the ionosphere. However, periods without substorms can persist for hours suggesting the lowenergy ions flowing out during these times could be a major source of the heavy ion population in the plasma sheet and lobe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flux transfer events (FTEs) are signatures of transient reconnection at the dayside magnetopause, transporting flux from the dayside of the magnetosphere into the magnetotail lobes. They have previously been observed to contain a combination of magnetosheath and magnetospheric plasma. On 12 February 2007, the four Cluster spacecraft were widely separated across the magnetopause and observed a crater-like FTE as they crossed the Earth's dayside magnetopause through its low-latitude boundary layer. The particle instruments on the Cluster spacecraft were in burst mode and returning data providing 3-D velocity distribution functions (VDFs) at 4 s resolution during the observation of this FTE. Moreover, the magnetic field observed during the event remained closely aligned with the spacecraft spin axis and thus we have been able to use these 3-D data to reconstruct nearly full pitch angle distributions of electrons and ions at high time resolution (up to 32 times faster than available from the normal mode data stream). These observations within the boundary layer and inside the core of the FTE show that both the interior and the surrounding structure of the FTE consist of multiple individual layers of plasma, in greater number than previously identified. Our observations show a cold plasma inside the core, a thin layer of antiparallel-moving electrons at the edge of FTE itself, and field-aligned ions with Alfvénic speeds at the trailing edge of the FTE. We discuss the plasma characteristics in these FTE layers, their possible relevance to the magnetopause reconnection processes and attempt to distinguish which of the various different FTE models may be relevant in this case. These data are particularly relevant given the impending launch of NASA's MMS mission, for which similar observations are expected to be more routine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy–latitude dispersed structured sub-keV ions in the inner magnetosphere often show significant development or intensification (by more than factor of 3) within 1–2 h near noon or afternoon where the azimuthal ion drift velocity at the sub-keV range is expected to be near zero. To examine whether such sudden appearances in the day-side can be explained by the drift motion of ions that are formed during substorm-related injections, we numerically simulated two such examples, one at noon and the other in the afternoon, based on the ion drift model. For both cases, the ion drift model with finite duration of proton source in the nightside can explain the observed large inbound–outbound differences in the sub-keV proton population without any new sources. Ion drift motion can thus cause rapid changes of complicated ion populations, at remote places from the source a long time after the substorm activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hot Ion Analyser (HIA), part of the Cluster Ion Spectrometry experiment, has the objective to measure the three-dimensional velocity distributions of ions. Due to a variety of factors (exposure to radiation, detector fatigue and aging, changes in the operating parameters, etc.), the particles' detection efficiency changes over time, prompting for continuous in-flight calibration. This is achieved by comparing the HIA data with the data provided by the WHISPER (Waves of HIgh frequency and Sounder for Probing of Electron density by Relaxation) experiment on magnetosheath intervals, for the high-sensitivity section of the instrument, or solar wind intervals, for the low-sensitivity section. The paper presents in detail the in-flight calibration methodology, reports on the work carried out for calibrating HIA and discusses plans to extend this activity in order to ensure the instrument's highest data accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we perform a statistical analysis of 92 foreshock cavitons observed with the Cluster spacecraft 1 during the period 2001-2006.We analyze time intervals during which the spacecraft was located in the Earth's foreshock with durations longer than 10 min. Together these amount to ∼50 days. The cavitons are transient structures in the Earth's foreshock. Their main signatures in the data include simultaneous depletions of the magnetic field intensity and plasma density, which are surrounded by a rim of enhanced values of these two quantities. Cavitons form due to nonlinear interaction of transverse and compressive ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves and are therefore always surrounded by intense compressive ULF fluctuations. They are carried by the solar wind towards the bow shock. This work represents the first systematic study of a large sample of foreshock cavitons. We find that cavitons appear for a wide range of solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field conditions and are therefore a common feature upstream of Earth's quasiparallel bow shock with an average occurrence rate of ∼2 events per day.We also discuss their observational properties in the context of other known upstream phenomena and show that the cavitons are a distinct structure in the foreshock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plumes, forming at the plasmapause and released outwards, constitute a well-established mode for plasmaspheric material release to the Earth's magnetosphere. They are associated to active periods and the related electric field change. In 1992, Lemaire and Shunk proposed the existence of an additional mode for plasmaspheric material release to the Earth's magnetosphere: a plasmaspheric wind, steadily transporting cold plasmaspheric plasma outwards across the geomagnetic field lines, even during prolonged periods of quiet geomagnetic conditions. This has been proposed on a theoretical basis. Direct detection of this wind has, however, eluded observation in the past. Analysis of ion measurements, acquired in the outer plasmasphere by the CIS experiment onboard the four Cluster spacecraft, provide now an experimental confirmation of the plasmaspheric wind. This wind has been systematically detected in the outer plasmasphere during quiet and moderately active conditions, and calculations show that it could provide a substantial contribution to the magnetospheric plasma populations outside the Earth's plasmasphere. Similar winds should also exist on other planets, or astrophysical objects, quickly rotating and having an atmosphere and a magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modelling plasma entry in the polar cusp has been successful in reproducing ion dispersions observed in the cusp at low and mid-altitudes. The use of a realistic convection pattern, when the IMF-By is large and stable, allowed Wing et al. (2001) to predict double cusp signatures that were subsequently observed by the DMSP spacecraft. In this paper we present a cusp crossing where two cusp populations are observed, separated by a gap around 1° Invariant Latitude (ILAT) wide. Cluster 1 (C1) and Cluster 2 (C2) observed these two cusp populations with a time delay of 3 min, and about 15 and 42 min later Cluster 4 (C4) and Cluster 3 (C3) observed, respectively, a single cusp population. A peculiarity of this event is the fact that the second cusp population seen on C1 and C2 was observed at the same time as the first cusp population on C4. This would tend to suggest that the two cusp populations had spatial features similar to the double cusp. Due to the nested crossing of C1 and C2 through the gap between the two cusp populations, C2 being first to leave the cusp and last to re-enter it, these observations are difficult to be explained by two distinct cusps with a gap in between. However, since we observe the cusp in a narrow area of local time post-noon, a second cusp may have been present in the pre-noon sector but could not be observed. On the other hand, these observations are in agreement with a motion of the cusp first dawnward and then back duskward due to the effect of the IMF-By component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hot Ion Analyser (HIA), part of the Cluster Ion Spectrometry experiment, has the objective to measure the three-dimensional velocity distributions of ions. Due to a variety of factors (exposure to radiation, detector fatigue and aging, changes in the operating parameters etc.), the particles detection efficiency changes over time, prompting for continuous in-flight calibration. This is achieved by comparing the HIA data with the data provided by the WHISPER experiment on magnetosheath intervals, for the high sensitivity section of the instrument, or solar wind intervals, for the low sensitivity section. The paper presents in detail the in-flight calibration methodology, reports on the work carried out for calibrating HIA and discusses plans to extend this activity in order to ensure the instrument highest data accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the inner magnetospheric current system (intensity, boundaries, evolution) is one of the key elements for the understanding of the whole magnetospheric current system. In particular, the calculation of the current density and the study of the changes in the ring current is an active field of research as it is a good proxy for the magnetic activity. The curlometer technique allows the current density to be calculated from the magnetic field measured at four different positions inside a given current sheet using the Maxwell-Ampere's law. In 2009, the CLUSTER perigee pass was located at about 2 RE allowing a study of the ring current deep inside the inner magnetosphere, where the pressure gradient is expected to invert direction. In this paper, we use the curlometer in such an orbit. As the method has never been used so deep inside the inner magnetosphere, this study is a test of the curlometer in a part of the magnetosphere where the magnetic field is very high (about 4000 nT) and changes over small distances (ΔB = 1 nT in 1000 km). To do so, the curlometer has been applied to calculate the current density from measured and modelled magnetic fields and for different sizes of the tetrahedron. The results show that the current density cannot be calculated using the curlometer technique at low altitude perigee passes, but that the method may be accurate in a [3RE; 5RE] or a [6RE; 8.3RE] L-shell range. It also demonstrates that the parameters used to estimate the accuracy of the method are necessary, but not sufficient conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has recently been proposed that ripples inherent to the bow shock during radial interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) may produce local high speed flows in the magnetosheath. These jets can have a dynamic pressure much larger than the dynamic pressure of the solar wind. On 17 March 2007, several jets of this type were observed by the Cluster spacecraft. We study in detail these jets and their effects on the magnetopause, the magnetosphere, and the ionospheric convection. We find that (1) the jets could have a scale size of up to a few RE but less than ∼6RE transverse to the XGSE axis; (2) the jets caused significant local magnetopause perturbations due to their high dynamic pressure; (3) during the period when the jets were observed, irregular pulsations at the geostationary orbit and localised flow enhancements in the ionosphere were detected. We suggest that these inner magnetospheric phenomena were caused by the magnetosheath jets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A data set of the Cluster cusp crossings over a 5- year period is studied for the interhemispheric comparison of the dipole tilt angle effect on the latitude of the mid-altitude cusp. The result shows that the dipole tilt angle has a clear control of the cusp latitudinal location. Although, the northern cusp moves 0.054° ILAT for every 1° increase in the dipole tilt angle at the mean altitude of 5.2RE, the southern cusp moves 0.051° ILAT for every 1° increase in the dipole tilt angle at the mean altitude of 6.6RE. The northern cusp dependence agrees with the trend formed by other observations of different satellites for different altitudes, whereas the southern cusp does not. We therefore suggest that there is an inter-hemispheric difference in the dipole tilt angle dependence of cusp, latitudinal location, which has an impact on other observations of different satellites in different altitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the temperature ratio of protons and electrons based on statistics of Cluster observations in the Earth's magnetotail from 2001 to 2004. During these years, from June to November, the Cluster spacecraft visited the plasma sheet at the distance r ∼ -19RE. We use proton and electron moments collected in the central region of the plasma sheet (∣Z∣<5RE). We find an average ratio of proton and electron temperatures ‹Tp/Te›≈3.5. The dependence of Tp on Te can be approximated by the power-law function: Tp≈11T0.62e, where Tp and Te are measured in MK. A previous reported ratio ‹Tp/Te›∼7 is limited to small electron temperatures <20 MK. The observations with the high electron temperature correspond to smaller values of the electron density and larger values of the proton and electron bulk velocities. A correlation between Te and curlometer current density is not found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travelling compression regions (TCRs) are perturbations in the magnetotail lobe magnetic field caused by structures moving Earthward or tailward within the plasma sheet. Previous works have suggested that these structures are created by either time-dependant reconnection occurring at a single X-line, forming a flux-bulge-type structure, or space-variant reconnection at multiple X-lines, forming fluxrope- type structures. In this study we examine an event in which Cluster 2 observed a TCR while the 3 remaining Cluster spacecraft observed the underlying magnetic structure at a range of distances from the neutral sheet. The magnetic structure has a velocity of (99, 154, -31) km s-1 in GSM (∣V∣ = 186 km s-1), an estimated size of 1.19RE along the direction of travel and a size between 1.94 and 2.86RE in the direction perpendicular to the current sheet. As the structure passes the spacecraft, Cluster 1 and Cluster 4 observed a bipolar signature in BZ, plasma-sheet-like plasma and fieldaligned electron flows. Cluster 3 passed closest to the centre of the structure and observed two separate reductions in the plasma density (with field-aligned electron flows); these drop-outs in the plasma sheet were possibly created by the actions of X-lines. The second drop-out in the plasma sheet also includes a reversal of the ion flow, a signature consistent with the passage of a reconnecting X-line past the spacecraft. Between the X-lines, the plasma outflow from the X-lines caused an increase in pressure which led to a localised expansion of the plasma and also the observations at Cluster 1 and Cluster 4 and the TCR. Our observations do not uniquely match either of the flux rope or the flux bulge predictions although the observation of two plasma sheet drop-outs (interpreted as X-lines, one active, one dormant) with plasmasheet- like between them and only one TCR is a situation expected in multiple X-line reconnection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of structures associated with mirror modes during their flow in the Earth's magnetosheath is studied. The fact that the related magnetic fluctuations can take distinct shapes, from deep holes to high peaks, has been assessed in previous works on the observational, modeling and numerical points of view. In this paper we present an analytical model for the flow lines and velocity magnitude inside the magnetosheath. This model is used to interpret almost 10 years of Cluster observations of mirror structures: by back tracking each isolated observation to the shock, the "age", or flow time, of these structures is determined together with the geometry of the shock. Using this flow time the evolutionary path of the structures may be studied with respect to different quantities: the distance to mirror threshold, the amplitude of mirror fluctuations and the skewness of the magnetic amplitude distribution as a marker of the shape of the structures. These behaviours are confronted to numerical simulations which confirm the dynamical perspective gained from the association of the statistical analysis and the analytical model: magnetic peaks are mostly formed just behind the shock and are quickly overwhelmed by magnetic holes as the plasma conditions get more mirror stable. The amplitude of the fluctuations are found to saturate before the skewness vanishes, i.e. when both structures quantitatively balance each other, which typically occurs after a flow time of 100-200 s in the Earth's magnetosheath. Comparison with other astrophysical contexts is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the spatial variation of magnetopause energy conversion and transfer using Cluster spacecraft observations of two magnetopause crossing events as well as using a global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation GUMICS-4. These two events, (16 January 2001, and 26 January 2001) are similar in all other aspects except for the sign of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) y-component that has earlier been found to control the spatial dependence of energy transfer. In simulations of the two events using observed solar wind parameters as input, we find that the GUMICS-4 energy transfer agrees with the Cluster observations spatially and is about 30% lower in magnitude. According to the simulation, most of the the energy transfer takes place in the plane of the IMF (as previous modelling results have suggested), and the locations of the load and generator regions on the magnetopause are controlled by the IMF orientation. Assuming that the model results are as well in accordance with the in situ observations also on other parts of the magnetopause, we are able to pin down the total energy transfer during the two Cluster magnetopause crossings. Here, we estimate that the instantaneous total power transferring through the magnetopause during the two events is at least 1500-2000GW, agreeing with ∈ scaled using the mean magnetopause area in the simulation. Hence the combination of the simulation results and the Cluster observations indicate that the _ parameter is probably underestimated by a factor of 2-3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Above the polar caps and during prolonged periods of northward IMF, the Cluster satellites detect upward accelerated ion beams with energies up to a few keV. They are associated with converging electric field structures indicating that the acceleration is caused by a quasi-static fieldaligned electric field that can extend to altitudes higher than 7RE (Maggiolo et al., 2006; Teste et al., 2007). Using the AMDA science analysis service provided by the Centre de Données de la Physique des Plasmas, we have been able to extract about 200 events of accelerated upgoing ion beams above the polar caps from the Cluster database. Most of these observations are taken at altitudes lower than 7RE and in the Northern Hemisphere. We investigate the statistical properties of these ion beams. We analyze their geometry, the properties of the plasma populations and of the electric field inside and around the beams, as well as their dependence on solar wind and IMF conditions. We show that ∼40% of the ion beams are collocated with a relatively hot and isotropic plasma population. The density and temperature of the isotropic population are highly variable but suggest that this plasma originates from the plasma sheet. The ion beam properties do not change significantly when the isotropic, hot background population is present. Furthermore, during one single polar cap crossing by Cluster it is possible to detect upgoing ion beams both with and without an accompanying isotropic component. The analysis of the variation of the IMF BZ component prior to the detection of the beams indicates that the delay between a northward/southward turning of IMF and the appearance/ disappearance of the beams is respectively ∼2 h and 20 min. The observed electrodynamic characteristics of high altitude polar cap ion beams suggest that they are closely connected to polar cap auroral arcs. We discuss the implications of these Cluster observations above the polar cap on the magnetospheric dynamics and configuration during prolonged periods of northward IMF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A qualitative study is performed on plasma transport modelling in the inner magnetosphere, revealing the significance of a model use choice and its parameterization. First, we examine particle transport using comparative analysis of both magnetic and electric field models. This work reveals that the electric field plays an important role in understanding particle dynamics and the models lead to various results in terms of plasma source, energy and particle trajectory. We then concentrate particularly on proton loss assessment considering the charge exchange phenomenon. For that, models are needed to provide a neutral hydrogen density estimation. So, exospheric models were tested in light of the Dynamics Explorer 1 measurements analysed by Rairden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The penetration of plasma sheet ions into the inner magnetosphere is very important to the inner magnetospheric dynamics since plasma sheet ions are one of the major particle sources of ring current during storm times. However, the direct observations of the inner boundary of the plasma sheet are fairly rare due to the limited number of satellites in near equatorial orbits outside 6.6RE. In this paper, we used the ion data recorded by TC-1 from 2004 to 2006 to study the distribution of inner boundary of ion plasma sheet (IBIPS) and for the first time show the observational distribution of IBIPS in the equatorial plane. The IBIPS has a dawn-dusk asymmetry, being farthest to the Earth in the 06:00 08:00 LT bin and closest to the Earth in the 18:00−20:00 LT bin. Besides, the IBIPS has also a day-night asymmetry, which may be due to the fact that the ions on the dayside are exposed more time to loss mechanisms on their drift paths. The radial distance of IBIPS decrease generally with the increase of Kp index. The mean radial distance of IBIPS is basically larger than 6.6RE during quiet times and smaller than 6.6RE during active times. When the strength of convection electric field increases, the inward shift of IBIPS is most significant on the night side (22:00−02:00 LT). For Kp ≤ 0+, only 16% of IBIPSs penetrate inside the geosynchronous orbit. For 2 ≤ Kp < 3+, however, 70% of IBIPSs penetrate inside the geosynchronous orbit. The IBIPS has weak correlations with the AE and Dst indexes. The average correlation coefficient between Ri and Kp is −0.58 while the correlation coefficient between Ri and AE/Dst is only −0.29/0.17. The correlation coefficients are local time dependent. Particularly, Ri and Kp are highly correlated (r = −0.72) in the night sector, meaning that the radial distance of IBIPS Ri in the night sector has the good response to the Kp index These observations indicate that Kp plays a key role in determining the position of IBIPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we use three years (2001, 2002, and 2004) of Cluster plasma sheet data to investigate what happens to localized energy conversion regions (ECRs) in the plasma sheet during times of high magnetospheric activity. By examining variations in the power density, E·J, where E is the electric field and J is the current density obtained by Cluster, we have studied the influence on Concentrated Load Regions (CLRs) and Concentrated Generator Regions (CGRs) from variations in the geomagnetic disturbance level as expressed by the Kp, the AE, and the Dst indices. We find that the ECR occurrence frequency increases during higher magnetospheric activities, and that the ECRs become stronger. This is true both for CLRs and for CGRs, and the localized energy conversion therefore concerns energy conversion in both directions between the particles and the fields in the plasma sheet. A higher geomagnetic activity hence increases the general level of energy conversion in the plasma sheet. Moreover, we have shown that CLRs live longer during magnetically disturbed times, hence converting more electromagnetic energy. The CGR lifetime, on the other hand, seems to be unaffected by the geomagnetic activity level. The evidence for increased energy conversion during geomagnetically disturbed times is most clear for Kp and for AE, but there are also some indications that energy conversion increases during large negative Dst. This is consistent with the plasma sheet magnetically mapping to the auroral zone, and therefore being more tightly coupled to auroral activities and variations in the AE and Kp indices, than to variations in the ring current region as described by the Dst index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a study of the spectral characteristics of protons in the Earth's plasma sheet for various geomagnetic disturbance levels. The study is based on about 5400 h of data combined from the Cluster RAPID and CIS instruments obtained during the tail season (July-October). The overall proton spectral shape is generally that of a κ distribution, that is, resembling a Maxwellian at lower energies which smoothly merges into a power-law tail at higher energies. The actual spectral long-term slope depends on various magnetospheric driver parameters, but is on average around 3.5-4. During disturbed conditions, such as geomagnetic storm or substorm periods, a shift in the characteristic energy is observed. For two individual storms, we also found a hardening of the spectra. Unlike the electron spectra, we do not see any significant local time dependence in the spectral slope, but we find higher average ion fluxes in the dusk side. We also do not find any direct response in the energy spectra to changes in the interplanetary magnetic field or solar wind dynamic pressure. This suggests that energization of the ions are mainly due to internal processes in the plasma sheet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrostatic Solitary Waves (ESWs) have been observed by several spacecraft in the current layers of Earth's magnetosphere since 1982. ESWs are manifested as isolated pulses (one wave period) in the high time resolution waveform data obtained on these spacecraft. They are thus nonlinear structures generated out of nonlinear instabilities and processes. We report the first observations of ESWs associated with the onset of a super-substorm that occurred on 24 August 2005 while the Cluster spacecraft were located in the magnetotail at around 18-19 RE and moving northward from the plasma sheet to the lobes. These ESWs were detected in the waveform data of the WBD plasma wave receiver on three of the Cluster spacecraft. The majority of the ESWs were detected about 5 min after the super-substorm onset during which time 1) the PEACE electron instrument detected significant field-aligned electron fluxes from a few 100 eV to 3.5 keV, 2) the EDI instrument detected bursts of field-aligned electron currents, 3) the FGM instrument detected substantial magnetic fluctuations and the presence of Alfvén waves, 4) the STAFF experiment detected broadband electric and magnetic waves, ion cyclotron waves and whistler mode waves, and 5) CIS detected nearly comparable densities of H+ and O+ ions and a large tailward H+ velocity. We compare the characteristics of the ESWs observed during this event to those created in the laboratory at the University of California-Los Angeles Plasma Device (LAPD) with an electron beam. We find that the time durations of both space and LAPD ESWs are only slightly larger than the respective local electron plasma periods, indicating that electron, and not ion, dynamics are responsible for generation of the ESWs. We have discussed possible mechanisms for generating the ESWs in space, including the beam and kinetic Buneman type instabilities and the acoustic instabilities. Future studies will examine these mechanisms in more detail using the space measurements as inputs to models, and better relate the ESW space measurements to the laboratory through PIC code models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]