Search

We investigate the collection of dust particles in the mesosphere with the MESS (MEteoric Smoke Sampler) instrument that is designed to fly on a sounding rocket. We assume that the ice particles that form in the polar mesosphere between 80 and 85 km altitude in summer contain meteoric smoke particles; and these should be collected with MESS. The instrument consists of a collection device with an opening and closure mechanism, as well as an attached conic funnel which increases the sampling area in comparison to the collection area. Dust particles are collected either directly after passing through the instrument or indirectly after colliding with and fragmenting on the funnel wall. We calculate the dust and fragment trajectories in the detector to determine the collection efficiency for different particle sizes, rocket velocities, and heights, and we find the final velocities and the temperatures of the particles. The considered design has a sampling area of 62.78 mm diameter and a collection area of 20 mm diameter. For the conditions at the rocket launch site in Andøya, Norway, we estimate the collection of meteoric smoke particles contained in the ice particles to be ∼ 1012–1014 amu mm−2. The estimated temperatures suggest that the composition of these smoke particles is not affected by the collection. Our calculations also show that keeping the instrument open above 85 km altitude increases the amount of small smoke particles that are directly collected. The directly collected smoke particles are heated as they decelerate, which can affect their composition.

Meteoric ablation in the Earth's atmosphere produces particles of nanometer size and larger. These particles can become charged and influence the charge balance in the D region (60–90 km) and the incoherent scatter observed with radar from there. Radar studies have shown that, if enough dust particles are charged, they can influence the received radar spectrum below 100 km, provided the electron density is sufficiently high (>109 m3). Here, we study an observation made with the EISCAT VHF radar on 9 January 2014 during strong particle precipitation so that incoherent scatter was observed down to almost 60 km altitude. We found that the measured spectra were too narrow in comparison to the calculated spectra. Adjusting the collision frequency provided a better fit in the frequency range of ± 10–30 Hz. However, this did not lead to the best fit in all cases, especially not for the central part of the spectra in the narrow frequency range of ±10 Hz. By including a negatively charged dust component, we obtained a better fit for spectra observed at altitudes of 75–85 km, indicating that dust influences the incoherent-scatter spectrum at D-region altitudes. The observations at lower altitudes were limited by the small number of free electrons, and observations at higher altitudes were limited by the height resolution of the observations. Inferred dust number densities range from a few particles up to 104 cm−3, and average sizes range from approximately 0.6 to 1 nm. We find an acceptable agreement with the dust profiles calculated with the WACCM-CARMA (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model-Community Aerosol Radiation Model for Atmospheres) model. However, these do not include charging, which is also based on models.

Solar Orbiter is equipped with electrical antennas performing fast measurements of the surrounding electric field. The antennas register high-velocity dust impacts through the electrical signatures of impact ionization. Although the basic principle of the detection has been known for decades, the understanding of the underlying process is not complete, due to the unique mechanical and electrical design of each spacecraft and the variability of the process. We present a study of electrical signatures of dust impacts on Solar Orbiter's body, as measured with the Radio and Plasma Waves electrical suite. A large proportion of the signatures present double-peak electrical waveforms in addition to the fast pre-spike due to electron motion, which are systematically observed for the first time. We believe this is due to Solar Orbiter's unique antenna design and a high temporal resolution of the measurements. The double peaks are explained as being due to two distinct processes. Qualitative and quantitative features of both peaks are described. The process for producing the primary peak has been studied extensively before, and the process for producing the secondary peak has been proposed before (Pantellini et al., 2012a) for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), although the corresponding delay of 100–300 µs between the primary and the secondary peak has not been observed until now. Based on this study, we conclude that the primary peak's amplitude is the better measure of the impact-produced charge, for which we find a typical value of around 8 pC. Therefore, the primary peak should be used to derive the impact-generated charge rather than the maximum. The observed asymmetry between the primary peaks measured with individual antennas is quantitatively explained as electrostatic induction. A relationship between the amplitude of the primary and the secondary peak is found to be non-linear, and the relation is partially explained with a model for electrical interaction through the antennas' photoelectron sheath.

Atmospheric gravity waves and traveling ionospheric disturbances can be observed in the neutral atmosphere and the ionosphere at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Especially at medium scales, these oscillations are often not resolved in general circulation models and are parameterized. We show that ionospheric disturbances forced by upward-propagating atmospheric gravity waves can be simultaneously observed with the EISCAT very high frequency incoherent scatter radar and the Nordic Meteor Radar Cluster. From combined multi-static measurements, both vertical and horizontal wave parameters can be determined by applying a specially developed Fourier filter analysis method. This method is demonstrated using the example of a strongly pronounced wave mode that occurred during the EISCAT experiment on 7 July 2020. Leveraging the developed technique, we show that the wave characteristics of traveling ionospheric disturbances are notably impacted by the fall transition of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. We also demonstrate the application of using the determined wave parameters to infer the thermospheric neutral wind velocities. Applying the dissipative anelastic gravity wave dispersion relation, we obtain vertical wind profiles in the lower thermosphere.

Polar mesospheric summer echo (PMSE) formation is linked to charged dust/ice particles in the mesosphere. We investigate the modulation of PMSEs with radio waves based on measurements with EISCAT VHF radar and EISCAT heating facility during low solar illumination. The measurements were made in August 2018 and 2020 around 20:02 UT. Heating was operated in cycles with intervals of 48 s on and 168 s off. More than half of the observed heating cycles show a PMSE modulation with a decrease in PMSE when the heater is on and an increase when it is switched off again. The PMSE often increases beyond its initial strength. Less than half of the observed modulations have such an overshoot. The overshoots are small or nonexistent at strong PMSE, and they are not observed when the ionosphere is influenced by particle precipitation. We observe instances of very large overshoots at weak PMSE. PMSE modulation varies strongly from one cycle to the next, being highly variable on spatial scales smaller than a kilometer and timescales shorter than the timescales assumed for the variation in dust parameters. Average curves over several heating cycles are similar to the overshoot curves predicted by theory and observed previously. Some of the individual curves show stronger overshoots than reported in previous studies, and they exceed the values predicted by theory. A possible explanation is that the dust-charging conditions are different either because of the reduced solar illumination around midnight or because of long-term changes in ice particles in the mesosphere. We conclude that it is not possible to reliably derive the dust-charging parameters from the observed PMSE modulations.

This article presents the results of automatic detection of dust impact signals observed by the Solar Orbiter – Radio and Plasma Waves instrument. A sharp and characteristic electric field signal is observed by the Radio and Plasma Waves instrument when a dust particle impacts the spacecraft at high velocity. In this way, ∼ 5–20 dust impacts are daily detected as the Solar Orbiter travels through the interplanetary medium. The dust distribution in the inner solar system is largely uncharted and statistical studies of the detected dust impacts will enhance our understanding of the role of dust in the solar system. It is however challenging to automatically detect and separate dust signals from the plural of other signal shapes for two main reasons. Firstly, since the spacecraft charging causes variable shapes of the impact signals, and secondly because electromagnetic waves (such as solitary waves) may induce resembling electric field signals. In this article, we propose a novel machine learning-based framework for detection of dust impacts. We consider two different supervised machine learning approaches: the support vector machine classifier and the convolutional neural network classifier. Furthermore, we compare the performance of the machine learning classifiers to the currently used on-board classification algorithm and analyze 2 years of Radio and Plasma Waves instrument data. Overall, we conclude that detection of dust impact signals is a suitable task for supervised machine learning techniques. The convolutional neural network achieves the highest performance with 96 % ± 1 % overall classification accuracy and 94 % ± 2 % dust detection precision, a significant improvement to the currently used on-board classifier with 85 % overall classification accuracy and 75 % dust detection precision. In addition, both the support vector machine and the convolutional neural network classifiers detect more dust particles (on average) than the on-board classification algorithm, with 16 % ± 1 % and 18 % ± 8 % detection enhancement, respectively. The proposed convolutional neural network classifier (or similar tools) should therefore be considered for post-processing of the electric field signals observed by the Solar Orbiter.

Observations of polar mesospheric clouds have revealed the presence of solid ice particles in the upper mesosphere at high latitudes; however, their formation mechanism remains uncertain. In this study, we investigated the formation process of ice particles through nucleation from small amounts of water vapor at low temperatures. Previous studies that used classical nucleation theory have shown that amorphous solid water particles can nucleate homogeneously at conditions that are present in the mesosphere. However, the rate predictions for water in classical nucleation theory disagree with experimental measurements by several orders of magnitude. We adopted a semi-phenomenological model for the nucleation process, which corrects the evaluation of the molecular cluster formation energy using the second virial coefficient, which agrees with both experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. To calculate the nucleation process, we applied atmospheric conditions for the temperature, pressure, numerical density of dust grains, and cooling rate. The results indicate that homogeneous water nucleation is extremely unlikely to occur in the mesosphere, while heterogeneous nucleation occurs effectively. Dust grains generated by meteor ablation can serve as nuclei for heterogeneous nucleation. We also showed that the ice can form directly in a crystalline state, rather than an amorphous state.

We investigate if the presence of meteoric smoke particles (MSPs) influences the electron temperature during artificial heating in the D-region. By transferring the energy of powerful high-frequency radio waves into thermal energy of electrons, artificial heating increases the electron temperature. Artificial heating depends on the height variation of electron density. The presence of MSPs can influence the electron density through charging of MSPs by electrons, which can reduce the number of free electrons and even result in height regions with strongly reduced electron density, so-called electron bite-outs. We simulate the influence of the artificial heating by calculating the intensity of the upward-propagating radio wave. The electron temperature at each height is derived from the balance of radio wave absorption and cooling through elastic and inelastic collisions with neutral species. The influence of MSPs is investigated by including results from a one-dimensional height-dependent ionospheric model that includes electrons, positively and negatively charged ions, neutral MSPs, singly positively and singly negatively charged MSPs, and photochemistry such as photoionization and photodetachment. We apply typical ionospheric conditions and find that MSPs can influence both the magnitude and the height profile of the heated electron temperature above 80 km; however, this depends on ionospheric conditions. During night, the presence of MSPs leads to more efficient heating and thus a higher electron temperature above altitudes of 80 km. We found differences of up to 1000 K in electron temperature for calculations with and without MSPs. When MSPs are present, the heated electron temperature decreases more slowly. The presence of MSPs does not much affect the heating below 80 km for night conditions. For day conditions, the difference between the heated electron temperature with MSPs and without MSPs is less than 25 K. We also investigate model runs using MSP number density profiles for autumn, summer and winter. The night-time electron temperature is expected to be 280 K hotter in autumn than during winter conditions, while the sunlit D-region is 8 K cooler for autumn MSP conditions than for the summer case, depending on altitude. Finally, an investigation of the electron attachment efficiency to MSPs shows a significant impact on the amount of chargeable dust and consequently on the electron temperature.

The existence of detached/isolated auroral structures in the subauroral ionosphere has been recognized and studied for decades. One major subset of such detached auroras is the so-called “isolated proton aurora” (IPA). IPA is characterized by substantial hydrogen emissions and thus inferred to be proton aurora, but is also accompanied by other emission lines. In particular, IPA is usually dominated by 557.7 nm green-line emissions in optical luminosity. To date, there is still a lack of dedicated spectrographic study and detailed comparison among structures in different emission lines of IPA. The intensity ratios between the 557.7 nm and hydrogen emissions in IPA have not been well established from concurrent observations or theoretical models. In this study, we report an IPA event during ∼0245–0345 UT on 12 October 2021, the Canada Thanksgiving storm night. Using multi-station, multi-wavelength optical instruments, including the Transition Region Explorer (TREx) spectrograph, we investigate the evolution and spectrographic properties of the IPA. In-situ and ground magnetometer data show evidence of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves associated with the passage of IPA, supporting a causal link between the EMIC wave and the proton precipitation. The precipitating proton energies are estimated to range between a few keV and a few tens of keV according to the IPA emission heights inferred from triangulation analyses. Via careful examination of the spectral intensities and the elevation-angle profiles of the 557.7, 427.8, and 486.1 nm emissions based on the spectrograph data, we conclude that the 557.7 nm emissions contained in the IPA were unlikely to owe their source to energetic electron precipitation from the magnetosphere, but were the byproduct of the proton precipitation. The intensity ratio between the 557.7 nm (427.8 nm) and the 486.1 nm emissions of the IPA are confined within a relatively narrow range around ∼26 (∼4), which may serve as validation tests for existing and developing proton transport models.

Agglomeration of charged ice and dust particles in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere is studied using a classical electrostatic approach, which is extended to capture the induced polarisation of surface charge. Collision outcomes are predicted whilst varying the particle size, charge, dielectric constant, relative kinetic energy, collision geometry and the coefficient of restitution. In addition to Coulomb forces acting on particles of opposite charge, instances of attraction between particles of the same sign of charge are discussed. These attractive forces are governed by the polarisation of surface charge and can be strong at very small separation distances. In the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, these interactions could also contribute to the formation of stable aggregates and contamination of ice particles through collisions with meteoric smoke particles.

We investigate the generation of charge due to collision between projectiles with sizes below ∼1 µm and metal surfaces at speeds ∼0.1 to 10 km s−1. This corresponds to speeds above the elastic limit and well below speeds where volume ionization can occur. Impact charge production at these low to intermediate speeds has traditionally been described by invoking the theory of shock wave ionization. By looking at the thermodynamics of the low-velocity solution of shock wave ionization, we find that such a mechanism alone is not sufficient to account for the recorded charge production in a number of scenarios in the laboratory and in space. We propose a model of capacitive contact charging that involves no direct ionization, in which we allow for projectile fragmentation upon impact. Furthermore, we show that this model describes measurements of metal–metal impacts in the laboratory well. We also address contact charging in the context of ice-on-metal collisions and apply our results to rocket observations of mesospheric dust. In general, we find that contact charging dominates at speeds of up to a few kilometres per second and complements shock wave ionization up to speeds where direct ionization can take place. The conditions that we consider can be applied to dust particles naturally occurring in space and in Earth's upper atmosphere and their direct impacts on rockets, spacecraft, and impacts of secondary ejecta.

We present a detailed investigation of the formation of an additional sodium density peak at altitudes of 79–85 km below the main peak of the sodium layer based on sodium lidar and airglow imager measurements made at Ramfjordmoen near Tromsø, Norway, on the night of 19 December 2014. The airglow imager observations of OH emissions revealed four passing frontal systems that resembled mesospheric bores, which typically occur in ducting regions of the upper mesosphere. For about 1.5 h, the lower-altitude sodium peak had densities similar to that of the main peak of the layer around 90 km. The lower-altitude sodium peak weakened and disappeared soon after the fourth front had passed. The fourth front had weakened in intensity by the time it approached the region of lidar beams and disappeared soon afterwards. The column-integrated sodium densities increased gradually during the formation of the lower-altitude sodium peak. Temperatures measured with the lidar indicate that there was a strong thermal duct structure between 87 and 93 km. Furthermore, the temperature was enhanced below 85 km. Horizontal wind magnitudes estimated from the lidar showed strong wind shears above 93 km. We conclude that the combination of an enhanced stability region due to the temperature profile and intense wind shears have provided ideal conditions for evolution of multiple mesospheric bores revealed as frontal systems in the OH images. The downward motion associated with the fronts appeared to have brought air rich in H and O from higher altitudes into the region below 85 km, wherein the temperature was also higher. Both factors would have liberated sodium atoms from the reservoir species and suppressed the reconversion of atomic sodium into reservoir species so that the lower-altitude sodium peak could form and the column abundance could increase. The presented observations also reveal the importance of mesospheric frontal systems in bringing about significant variation of minor species over shorter temporal intervals.

The aim of this study is to investigate through modelling how sputtering by impacting solar wind ions influences the lifetime of dust particles in the inner heliosphere near the Sun. We consider three typical dust materials, silicate, Fe0.4Mg0.6O, and carbon, and describe their sputtering yields based on atomic yields given by the Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) package. The influence of the solar wind is characterized by plasma density, solar wind speed, and solar wind composition, and we assume for these parameter values that are typical for fast solar wind, slow solar wind, and coronal mass ejection (CME) conditions to calculate the sputtering lifetimes of dust. To compare the sputtering lifetimes to typical sublimation lifetimes, we use temperature estimates based on Mie calculations and material vapour pressure derived with the MAGMA chemical equilibrium code. We also compare the sputtering lifetimes to the Poynting–Robertson lifetime and to the collision lifetime. We present a set of sputtering rates and lifetimes that can be used for estimating dust destruction in the fast and slow solar wind and during CME conditions. Our results can be applied to solid particles of a few nanometres and larger. The sputtering lifetimes increase linearly with the size of particles. We show that sputtering rates increase during CME conditions, primarily because of the high number densities of heavy ions in the CME plasma. The shortest sputtering lifetimes we find are for silicate, followed by Fe0.4Mg0.6O and carbon. In a comparison between sputtering and sublimation lifetimes we concentrate on the nanodust population. The comparison shows that sublimation is the faster destruction process within 0.1 AU for Fe0.4Mg0.6O, within 0.05 AU for carbon dust, and within 0.07 AU for silicate dust. The destruction by sputtering can play a role in the vicinity of the Sun. We discuss our findings in the context of recent F-corona intensity measurements onboard Parker Solar Probe.

The electric and magnetic field instrument suite FIELDS on board the NASA Parker Solar Probe and the radio and plasma waves instrument RPW on the ESA Solar Orbiter mission that explore the inner heliosphere are sensitive to signals generated by dust impacts. Dust impacts have been observed using electric field antennas on spacecraft since the 1980s and the method was recently used with a number of space missions to derive dust fluxes. Here, we consider the details of dust impacts, subsequent development of the impact generated plasma and how it produces the measured signals. We describe empirical approaches to characterise the signals and compare these in a qualitative discussion of laboratory simulations to predict signal shapes for spacecraft measurements in the inner solar system. While the amount of charge production from a dust impact will be higher near the Sun than observed in the interplanetary medium before, the amplitude of pulses is determined by the recovery behaviour that is different near the Sun since it varies with the plasma environment.

The plasma on a magnetic field line in the downward current region of the aurora is simulated using a Vlasov model. It is found that an electric field parallel to the magnetic fields is supported by a double layer moving toward higher altitude. The double layer accelerates electrons upward, and these electrons give rise to plasma waves and electron phase-space holes through beam–plasma interaction. The double layer is disrupted when reaching altitudes of 1–2 Earth radii where the Langmuir condition no longer can be satisfied due to the diminishing density of electrons coming up from the ionosphere. During the disruption the potential drop is in part carried by the electron holes. The disruption creates favourable conditions for double layer formation near the ionosphere and double layers form anew in that region. The process repeats itself with a period of approximately 1 min. This period is determined by how far the double layer can reach before being disrupted: a higher disruption altitude corresponds to a longer repetition period. The disruption altitude is, in turn, found to increase with ionospheric density and to decrease with total voltage. The current displays oscillations around a mean value. The period of the oscillations is the same as the recurrence period of the double layer formations. The oscillation amplitude increases with increasing voltage, whereas the mean value of the current is independent of voltage in the 100 to 800 V range covered by our simulations. Instead, the mean value of the current is determined by the electron density at the ionospheric boundary.

The plasma on an auroral field line is simulated using a Vlasov model. In the initial state, the acceleration region extends from one to three Earth radii in altitude with about half of the acceleration voltage concentrated in a stationary double layer at the bottom of this region. A population of electrons is trapped between the double layer and their magnetic mirror points at lower altitudes. A simulation study is carried out to examine the effects of fluctuations in the total accelerating voltage, which may be due to changes in the generator or the load of the auroral current circuit. The electron distribution function on the high potential side of the double layer changes significantly depending on whether the perturbation is toward higher or lower voltages, and therefore measurements of electron distribution functions provide information about the recent history of the voltage. Electron phase space holes are seen as a result of the induced fluctuations. Most of the voltage perturbation is assumed by the double layer. Hysteresis effects in the position of the double layer are observed when the voltage first is lowered and then brought back to its initial value.

An auroral flux tube is modelled from the magnetospheric equator to the ionosphere using Vlasov simulations. Starting from an initial state, the evolution of the plasma on the flux tube is followed in time. It is found that when applying a voltage between the ends of the flux tube, about two thirds of the potential drop is concentrated in a thin double layer at approximately one Earth radius altitude. The remaining part is situated in an extended region 1–2 Earth radii above the double layer. Waves on the ion timescale develop above the double layer, and they move toward higher altitude at approximately the ion acoustic speed. These waves are seen both in the electric field and as perturbations of the ion and electron distributions, indicative of an instability. Electrons of magnetospheric origin become trapped between the magnetic mirror and the double layer during its formation. At low altitude, waves on electron timescales appear and are seen to be non-uniformly distributed in space. The temporal evolution of the potential profile and the total voltage affect the double layer altitude, which decreases with an increasing field aligned potential drop. A current–voltage relationship is found by running several simulations with different voltages over the system, and it agrees with the Knight relation reasonably well.

In a recent paper, Treumann and Baumjohann (2011) propose that the contribution of dust particles to the solar wind dynamic pressure can cause large compressions of the Earth's magnetopause and suggest that this occurs when Earth encounters meteoroid streams. In this paper we estimate the contribution from charged dust particles to the solar wind dynamical pressure, and we exclude that the dust associated to meteoroid streams can influence the extension of the magnetopause according to the proposed model. A sufficient coupling to the solar wind is only expected for so-called nanodust. However, the dynamic pressure of the nanodust is orders of magnitudes below that of the solar wind, making it unlikely that its variation can be observed in displacements of the magnetopause. We also discuss the equation that the authors use for estimating the extension of the Earth's magnetopause, and conclude that this is not applicable due to the large gyroradius of the nanodust. We finally note that an influence of dust on the extension of a magnetosphere might be quite possible in other astrophysical systems and based on other processes.

We report multi-spacecraft and ground-based observations of a "sawtooth" event on 20 November 2007. For this event, data from three THEMIS, two GOES, and four LANL spacecraft are available as well as those from extensively distributed ground magnetometers and all-sky imagers. In the present paper we focus on the spatial extents of the electromagnetic and particle signatures of the first "tooth". In this event, auroral images and ground magnetic bays showed two activations: a pseudo onset and a major onset (we use the term pseudo onset since the former auroral brightening did not significantly expand poleward). Ground magnetic bay observations indicate that the substorm current wedge (SCW) developed after the major onset in an azimuthally wide region of ~14–3 h MLT. Similarly, broad magnetic bay distribution was observed also for the pseudo onset prior to the major onset. Furthermore, around the pseudo onset, magnetic dipolarisations were observed from 0.5 to 5 h MLT. These observations illustrate that, during sawtooth events, activities following not only the major onset but also the pseudo onset can extend more widely than those during usual substorms. Remarkable electromagnetic field fluctuations embedded in the dipolarisation trend were seen at 0.5 and 2.5 h MLT. In particular, comprehensive plasma and field data from THEMIS showed the presence of a long-excited weak magnetosonic wave and an impulsive large-amplitude Alfvén wave with an earthward Poynting flux at around the eastward edge of the SCW; the latter was sufficiently strong for powering aurora (140 mW/m2 when mapped to the ionosphere). These two activations of the electromagnetic wave were identified, corresponding to the pseudo onset and the major onset. On the other hand, the dipolarisation at geosynchronous 0 h MLT was observed only after the major onset, despite its closer location to the centre of the auroral activity in terms of the MLT; this indicates that the inner radial limit of the dipolarisation region at the pseudo onset was tailward of geosynchronous altitude at 0 h MLT. The outer radial limit of the electron injection region was also found at ~10 RE by conjunction measurements with THEMIS satellites. These radial distributions are not significantly different to those expected for usual substorms.

We examine fast plasma flows and magnetic field fluctuations observed by THEMIS at 03:00–03:30 UT on 12 December 2007. All THEMIS probes are situated in the near-Earth plasma sheet (XSM>−10 RE) with 1–2 RE spacecraft separations in azimuthal and radial directions. We focus on the observations of plasma convective flows made simultaneously by more than one THEMIS probe. At about 03:10 UT and 03:14 UT, the THEMIS P2 probe observed earthward flows of >100 km/s. The THEMIS P1 probe, located duskward and earthward of P2, observed tailward flows under a positive Bz. The inner most probe THEMIS P4, located at almost the same MLT as THEMIS P1 and P2, did not see any clear flow. We examine the convective flow patterns for the THEMIS observations. We conclude that plasma vortices are formed near the region where the earthward flows slow down and turn in azimuthal directions.

We report on quasi-parallel whistler emissions detected by the near-earth satellites of the THEMIS mission before, during, and after local dipolarization. These emissions are associated with an electron temperature anisotropy α=T⊥e/T||e>1 consistent with the linear theory of whistler mode anisotropy instability. When the whistler mode emissions are observed the measured electron anisotropy varies inversely with β||e (the ratio of the electron parallel pressure to the magnetic pressure) as predicted by Gary and Wang (1996). Narrow band whistler emissions correspond to the small α existing before dipolarization whereas the broad band emissions correspond to large α observed during and after dipolarization. The energy in the whistler mode is leaving the current sheet and is propagating along the background magnetic field, towards the Earth. A simple time-independent description based on the Liouville's theorem indicates that the electron temperature anisotropy decreases with the distance along the magnetic field from the equator. Once this variation of α is taken into account, the linear theory predicts an equatorial origin for the whistler mode. The linear theory is also consistent with the observed bandwidth of wave emissions. Yet, the anisotropy required to be fully consistent with the observations is somewhat larger than the measured one. Although the discrepancy remains within the instrumental error bars, this could be due to time-dependent effects which have been neglected. The possible role of the whistler waves in the substorm process is discussed.

Themis E observed a perpendicular (to the magnetic field) electric field associated with an Earthward plasma flow at XGSM=−9.6 RE on 11 January 2008. The electric field observation resembles Cluster observations closer to Earth in the auroral region. The fast plasma flow shared some characteristics with bursty bulk flows (BBFs) but did not meet the usual criteria in maximum velocity and duration to qualify as one. Themis C observed the same flow further downtail but Themis D, separated by only 1 RE in azimuthal direction from Themis E, did not. At the time of the electric field and ion flow event, the all-sky imager and ground-based magnetometer at Rankin Inlet observed Poleward Boundary Intensifications (PBIs) and a negative bay signature. None of the other Themis ground-based observatories recorded any significant auroral or magnetic field activity, indicating that this was a localized activity. The joint Themis in situ and ground-based observations suggest that the two observations are related. This indicates that auroral electric fields can extend to regions much farther out than previously seen in Cluster observations.

A sequence of magnetic field oscillations with an amplitude of up to 30 nT and a time scale of 30 min was detected by four of the five THEMIS spacecraft in the magnetotail plasma sheet. The probes P1 and P2 were at X=−15.2 and −12.7 RE and P3 and P4 were at X=−7.9 RE. All four probes were at −6.5>Y>−7.5 RE (major conjunction). Multi-point timing analysis of the magnetic field variations shows that fronts of the oscillations propagated flankward (dawnward and Earthward) nearly perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic maximum variation (B1) at velocities of 20–30 km/s. These are typical characteristics of current sheet flapping motion. The observed anti-correlation between ∂B1/∂t and the Z-component of the bulk velocity make it possible to estimate a flapping amplitude of 1 to 3 RE. The cross-tail scale wave-length was found to be about 5 RE. Thus the flapping waves are steep tail-aligned structures with a lengthwise scale of >10 RE. The intermittent plasma motion with the cross-tail velocity component changing its sign, observed during flapping, indicates that the flapping waves were propagating through the ambient plasma. Simultaneous observations of the magnetic field variations by THEMIS ground-based magnetometers show that the flapping oscillations were observed during the growth phase of a substorm.