Search

On day 7 May 2005, the plasma instruments on board Double Star TC1 and Cluster SC3 spacecraft register inside the magnetosheath, at 19:15:12 and 19:16:20 UT, respectively, a strong pressure pulse due to the impact of an interplanetary shock wave (IS) on the terrestrial bow shock. The analysis of this event provides clear and quantitative evidences confirming and strengthening some results given by past simulations and observational studies. In fact, here we show that the transmitted shock is slowed down with respect to the incident IS (in the Earth's reference frame) and that, besides the transmitted shock, the IS – bow shock interaction generates a second discontinuity. Moreover, supported also by a special set three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation, we discuss, as further effects of the interaction of the IS with the magnetosphere, other two interesting aspects of the present event, that is: the TC1 double crossing of the bow shock (observed few minutes after the impact of the IS) and the presence, only in the SC3 data, of a third discontinuity produced inside the magnetosheath.

During a long lasting period of northward interplanetary magnetic field and high solar wind speed (above 700 km/s), the Cluster spacecraft go across a number of very large rolled-up Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) vortices at the dusk magnetopause, close to the terminator. The peculiarity of the present event is a particular sequence of ions and electrons distribution functions observed repeatedly inside each vortex. In particular, whenever Cluster crosses the current layer inside the vortices, multiple field-aligned ion populations appear, suggesting the occurrence of reconnection. In addition, the ion data display a clear velocity filter effect both at the leading and at the trailing edge of each vortex. This effect is not present in the simultaneous electron data. Unlike other KH studies reported in the literature in which reconnection occurs within the vortices, in the present event the observations are not compatible with local reconnection, but are accounted for by lobe reconnection occurring along an extended X-line at the terminator in the Southern Hemisphere. The reconnected field lines "sink" across the magnetopause and then convect tailward-duskward where they become embedded in the vortices. Another observational evidence is the detected presence of solar wind plasma on the magnetospheric side of the vortices, which confirms unambiguously the occurrence of mass transport across the magnetopause already reported in the literature. The proposed reconnection scenario accounts for all the observational aspects, regarding both the transport process and the kinetic signatures.

This article describes observations of a bursty bulk flow (BBF) in the outer central plasma sheet. The observations are made with the Cluster satellites, located approximately 19 RE downtail, close to the midnight sector in the Southern Hemisphere. 40–60 s after Cluster first detected the BBF, there was a large bipolar perturbation in the magnetic field. A Grad-Shafranov reconstruction has revealed that this is created by a field-aligned current at the flank of the BBF. Further analysis of the plasma moments has shown that the BBF has the properties of a depleted flux tube. Depleted flux tubes are an important theoretical model for how plasma and magnetic flux can be transported Earthward in the magnetotail as part of the Dungey cycle. The field aligned current is directed Earthward and is located at the dawn side of the BBF. Thus, it is consistent with the magnetic shear at the flank of an Earthward moving BBF. The total current has been estimated to be about 0.1 MA.

Simultaneous measurements from the Cluster spacecraft and several ground stations (SAMNET, IMAGE, Kakioka, Hermanus) provide evidence for an association of Pi2 pulsations and pulsed reconnection in the magnetotail. On 8 September 2002, substorm-related Pi2 pulsations were recorded with the same waveform (same frequency) in the tail lobe at 16 RE and time-delayed on the ground (both nightside and dayside) spanning L values from 1.23 to 6.11. The tail lobe Pi2 pulsations were a series of nightside flux transfer event (NFTE) pulses propagating at a speed of 600–800 km/s towards Earth, which for the first time relates these two magnetospheric phenomena. NFTEs have previously been considered as the remote signature of tail reconnection. The first ground onset of the Pi2 pulsations occurred at high- and midlatitude ground stations with a time delay of ~30 s with respect to the tail lobe Pi2, followed by lower latitude ground stations. The largest pulsations were observed at high latitude (ten times larger than at low latitude) near the polar cap boundary. The polarization pattern of the ground Pi2s in the H-D plane was consistent with a periodically driven field-aligned current (FAC) system. In addition, fast mode waves must have also played a role in the inner magnetosphere because of propagation effects among ground stations and because of the simultaneous occurrence of dayside low-latitude Pi2. Auroral brightening occurred in the region of upflowing FAC, and the auroral electrojet expanded poleward together with the auroral bulge both of which are typical substorm signatures. Hence, we conclude that the substorm-related Pi2 pulsations in space at 16 RE and on the ground were remotely driven by pulsed reconnection in the magnetotail, that is, reconnection not only provided the energy but its temporal variations also determined the characteristic Pi2 frequency. Scenarios are discussed that address the connection of pulsed reconnection and the driven current system in the ionosphere. These results show that reconnection can be coupled to the ionosphere through what is phenomenologically known as Pi2 pulsations. As a corollary, it is shown that the time history of events fits within the modified NENL model of substorms.

The structure and formation mechanism of a total of five Flux Transfer Events (FTEs), encountered on the equatorward side of the northern cusp by the Cluster spacecraft, with separation of ~5000 km, are studied by applying the Grad-Shafranov (GS) reconstruction technique to the events. The technique generates a magnetic field/plasma map of the FTE cross section, using combined magnetic field and plasma data from all four spacecraft, under the assumption that the structure is two-dimensional (2-D) and time-independent. The reconstructed FTEs consist of one or more magnetic flux ropes embedded in the magnetopause, suggesting that multiple X-line reconnection was involved in generating the observed FTEs. The dimension of the flux ropes in the direction normal to the magnetopause ranges from about 2000 km to more than 1 RE. The orientation of the flux rope axis can be determined through optimization of the GS map, the result being consistent with those from various single-spacecraft methods. Thanks to this, the unambiguous presence of a strong core field is confirmed, providing evidence for component merging. The amount of magnetic flux contained within each flux rope is calculated from the map and, by dividing it by the time interval between the preceding FTE and the one reconstructed, a lower limit of the reconnection electric field during the creation of the flux rope can be estimated; the estimated value ranges from ~0.11 to ~0.26 mV m-1, with an average of 0.19 mV m-1. This can be translated to the reconnection rate of 0.038 to 0.074, with an average of 0.056. Based on the success of the 2-D model in recovering the observed FTEs, the length of the X-lines is estimated to be at least a few RE.

Standing Alfvén waves of 1.1 mHz (~15 min in period) were observed by the Cluster satellites in the mid-tail during 06:00-07:00UT on 8August 2003. Pulsations with the same frequency were also observed at several ground stations near Cluster's footpoint. The standing wave properties were determined from the electric and magnetic field measurements of Cluster. Data from the ground magnetometers indicated a latitudinal amplitude and phase structure consistent with the driven field line resonance (FLR) at 1.1 mHz. Simultaneously, quasi-periodic oscillations at different frequencies were observed in the post-midnight/early morning sector by GOES12 (l0≈8.7), Polar (l0≈11-14) and Geotail (l0≈9.8). The 8August 2003 event yields rare and interesting datasets. It provides, for the first time, coordinated in situ and ground-based observations of a very low frequency FLR in the mid-tail on stretched field lines.

By using the data of two spacecraft, TC-1 and ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer), a statistical study on the correlations between plasma sheet and solar wind has been carried out. The results obtained show that the plasma sheet at geocentric distances of about 9~13.4 Re has an apparent driving relationship with the solar wind. It is found that (1) there is a positive correlation between the duskward component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and the duskward component of the geomagnetic field in the plasma sheet, with a proportionality constant of about 1.09. It indicates that the duskward component of the IMF can effectively penetrate into the near-Earth plasma sheet, and can be amplified by sunward convection in the corresponding region at geocentric distances of about 9~13.4 Re; (2) the increase in the density or the dynamic pressure of the solar wind will generally lead to the increase in the density of the plasma sheet; (3) the ion thermal pressure in the near-Earth plasma sheet is significantly controlled by the dynamic pressure of solar wind; (4) under the northward IMF condition, the ion temperature and ion thermal pressure in the plasma sheet decrease as the solar wind speed increases. This feature indicates that plasmas in the near-Earth plasma sheet can come from the magnetosheath through the LLBL. Northward IMF is one important condition for the transport of the cold plasmas of the magnetosheath into the plasma sheet through the LLBL, and fast solar wind will enhance such a transport process.

The persistent outflows of O+ ions observed by the Cluster CIS/CODIF instrument were studied statistically in the high-altitude (from 3 up to 11 RE) and high-latitude (from 70 to ~90 deg invariant latitude, ILAT) polar region. The principal results are: (1) Outflowing O+ ions with more than 1keV are observed above 10 RE geocentric distance and above 85deg ILAT location; (2) at 6-8 RE geocentric distance, the latitudinal distribution of O+ ion outflow is consistent with velocity filter dispersion from a source equatorward and below the spacecraft (e.g. the cusp/cleft); (3) however, at 8-12 RE geocentric distance the distribution of O+ outflows cannot be explained by velocity filter only. The results suggest that additional energization or acceleration processes for outflowing O+ ions occur at high altitudes and high latitudes in the dayside polar region. Keywords. Magnetospheric physics (Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics, Solar wind-magnetosphere interactions)

Multi-spacecraft observations from the CIS ion spectrometers on board the Cluster spacecraft have been used to study the structure of high-altitude oxygen ion energization and outflow. A case study taken from 12 April 2004 is discussed in more detail. In this case the spacecraft crossed the polar cap, mantle and high-altitude cusp region at altitudes between 4RE and 8RE and 2 of the spacecraft provided data. The oxygen ions were seen as a beam with narrow energy distribution, and increasing field-aligned velocity and temperature at higher altitude further in the upstream flow direction. The peak O+ energy was typically just above the highest energy of observed protons. The observed energies reached the upper limit of the CIS ion spectrometer, i.e. 38keV. Moment data from the spacecraft have been cross-correlated to determine cross-correlation coefficients, as well as the phase delay between the spacecraft. Structures in ion density, temperature and field-aligned flow appear to drift with the observed field-perpendicular drift. This, together with a velocity dispersion analysis, indicates that much of the structure can be explained by transverse heating well below the spacecraft. However, temperature isotropy and the particle flux as a function of field-aligned velocity are inconsistent with a single altitude Maxwellian source. Heating over extended altitude intervals, possibly all the way up to the observation point, seem consistent with the observations.

On 26 January 2001, the Cluster spacecraft detected high-speed plasma jets at multiple crossings of the high-latitude duskside magnetopause (MP) and boundary layer (BL) over a period of more than 2h. The 4 spacecraft combined spent more than half of this time in the MP/BL and jets were observed whenever a spacecraft was in the MP. These observations were made under steady southward and dawnward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions. The magnetic shear across the local MP was ~100° and β~1 in the adjacent magnetosheath. The jet velocity is in remarkable agreement with reconnection prediction throughout the entire interval, except for one crossing that had no ion measurements inside the current layer. The flow speed measured in the deHoffmann Teller frame is 90% of the Alfvén speed on average for the 10 complete MP current layer crossings that are resolved by the ion measurements. These findings strongly suggest that reconnection was continuously active for more than two hours. The jets were directed persistently in the same northward and anti-sunward direction, implying that the X-line was always below the spacecraft. This feature is inconsistent with patchy and random reconnection or convecting multiple X-lines. The majority of MP/BL crossings in this two-hour interval were partial crossings, implying that they are caused by bulges sliding along the MP, not by inward-outward motion of a uniformly thin MP/BL. The presence of the bulges suggests that, although reconnection is continuously active under steady IMF conditions, its rate may be modulated. The present investigation also reveals that (1) the predicted ion D-shaped distributions are absent in all reconnection jets on this day, (2) the electric field fluctuations are larger in the reconnecting MP than in the magnetosheath proper, but their amplitudes never exceed 20mV/m, (3) the ion-electron differential motion is ~20km/s for the observed MP current density of ~50nA/m2 (∇× B), thus inconsequential for the deHoffmann-Teller and Walén analyses, (4) flows in an isolated flux transfer event (FTE) are directed in the same direction as the MP jets and satisfy the Walén relation, suggesting that this FTE is also generated by reconnection. Finally, the present event cannot be used to evaluate the validity of component or anti-parallel merging models because, although the magnetic shear at the local MP was ~100°(≪180°), the X-line may be located more than 9RE away (in the opposite hemisphere), where the shear could be substantially different.

We report shell-like configurations seen in O+ ion velocity distributions. One case was observed above 8RE in radial distance in the dayside magnetosphere, presumably in the mantle region, during the observation period of 09:30-10:00 UT on 12 April 2001 by the CIS instrument on board the Cluster satellite. This shell-like configuration was different from so-called "conics" or "beams": the lower energy (cold) population and the higher energy partial shell part were seen together, but there was no obvious signature of heating process. With respect to H+ ion velocity distributions observed simultaneously, transverse heating (so-called in "pan-cake" shape) or field-aligned energisation configurations were seen as the result of heating/energisation processes and the upward-going part of the distribution also formed a half spherical thick shell configuration. Concerning O+ ion heating in the case of 12 April 2001, it was obviously observed when the spacecraft passed through the mantle region close to the poleward cusp. As the spacecraft moved toward the dayside cusp shell-like (or dome shape) velocity distributions appeared apparently and continued to be observed until the spacecraft reached the magnetopause according to two other different cases (13 February 2001 and 14 April 2001). Two other cases were observed in the Southern Hemisphere and the spacecraft was supposed to pass through the dayside cusp toward the mantle region at higher altitudes (9-11RE). O+ ion velocity distributions in these cases show pre-/post-structured shell-like configurations, depending on the observation sites (mantle or dayside cusp).

Compressional waves in the Earth's current sheet, driven by the high-speed plasma flows connected to substorms, are investigated using the Cluster magnetometer and plasma instrument. During the time that Cluster had its apogee in the magnetotail (July through October 2001), we have studied 5 events in detail. We find compressional waves in the 30–60mHz band, at a spectral power density that is dependent on when and where the event is observed. There is a difference of two orders of magnitude in power density between waves at substorm onset and waves during quiet times. Strong plasma flows are the driver of the wave power. The spacecraft location in the current sheet is also important for the spectral power density. Having four spacecraft available we can discern spatial from temporal variations. We have determined the propagation direction of the waves in the 30–60mHz band and found that in the Cluster rest frame they propagate in the same direction as the plasma flow at an angle 30° < ∆φ < 40° with respect to the plasma flow direction in the spacecraft' rest frame. Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetotail; MHD waves and instabilities; plasma sheet)

This paper presents in situ observational evidence from the Cluster Ion Spectrometer (CIS) on Cluster of injected solar wind "plasma clouds" protruding into the day-side high-latitude magnetopause. The plasma clouds, presumably injected by a transient process through the day-side magnetopause, show characteristics implying a generation mechanism denoted impulsive penetration (Lemaire and Roth, 1978). The injected plasma clouds, hereafter termed "plasma transfer events", (PTEs), (Woch and Lundin, 1991), are temporal in nature and relatively limited in size. They are initially moving inward with a high velocity and a magnetic signature that makes them essentially indistinguishable from regular magnetosheath encounters. Once inside the magnetosphere, however, PTEs are more easily distinguished from magnetopause encounters. The PTEs may still be moving while embedded in an isotropic background of energetic trapped particles but, once inside the magnetosphere, they expand along magnetic field lines. However, they frequently have a significant transverse drift component as well. The drift is localised, thus constituting an excess momentum/motional emf generating electric fields and currents. The induced emf also acts locally, accelerating a pre-existing cold plasma (e.g. Sauvaud et al., 2001). Observations of PTE-signatures range from "active" (strong transverse flow, magnetic turbulence, electric current, local plasma acceleration) to "evanescent" (weak flow, weak current signature). PTEs appear to occur independently of Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) Bz in the vicinity of the polar cusp region, which is consistent with observations of transient plasma injections observed with mid- and high-altitude satellites (e.g. Woch and Lundin, 1992; Stenuit et al., 2001). However the characteristics of PTEs in the magnetosphere boundary layer differ for southward and northward IMF. The Cluster data available up to now indicate that PTEs penetrate deeper into the magnetosphere for northward IMF than for southward IMF. This may or may not mark a difference in nature between PTEs observed for southward and northward IMF. Considering that flux transfer events (FTEs), (Russell and Elphic, 1979), are observed for southward IMF or when the IMF is oriented such that antiparallel merging may occur, it seems likely that PTEs observed for southward IMF are related to FTEs.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers; magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions; solar-wind magnetosphere interactions)

This paper presents the first observations with Cluster of a very dense population of thermal ionospheric ions (H+, He+, O+) locally "accelerated" perpendicularly to the local magnetic field in a region adjacent to the magnetopause and on its magnetospheric side. The observation periods follow a long period of very weak magnetic activity. Recurrent motions of the magnetopause are, in the presented cases, unexpectedly associated with the appearance inside closed field lines of recurrent energy structures of ionospheric ions with energies in the 5 eV to ~1000 eV range. The heaviest ions were detected with the highest energies. Here, the ion behaviour is interpreted as resulting from local electric field enhancements/decreases which adiabatically enhance/lower the bulk energy of a local dense thermal ion population. This drift effect, which is directly linked to magnetopause motions caused by pressure changes, allows for the thermal ions to overcome the satellite potential and be detected by the suprathermal CIS Cluster experiment. When fast flowing, i.e. when detectable, the density (~ 1 cm-3) of these ions from a terrestrial origin is (in the cases presented here) largely higher than the local density of ions from magnetospheric/plasma sheet origin which poses again the question of the relative importance of solar and ionospheric sources for the magnetospheric plasma even during very quiet magnetic conditions.Key words. Ionosphere (planetary ionosphere; plasma convection) Magnetospheric physics (magnetopause, cusp and boundary layers)