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Abstract Besides the cusp, polar cap, and auroral oval, the nightside subauroral zone has also recently been reported as a source region of the ionospheric oxygen outflows. However, the detailed mass and energy sources of these ions remain open questions. Here, we address this issue from the perspective of the response of conjugate hemispheres. Investigation of Van Allen Probes data demonstrates a notable preference of oxygen outflows from the nightside subauroral zone from the sunlit hemisphere. This characteristic eliminates the possibility of nightside auroral precipitation playing a significant role, as it is more prominent in darkness. Instead, it highlights sunlight‐induced ionization as the mass source and enhanced plasma waves from the magnetotail as the energy source. The results presented here further support the nightside subauroral zone as an independent source of magnetospheric oxygen ions.

Abstract Theoretical analysis has revealed a specific resonance that shares the same condition as Landau resonance, but instead involves wave electromagnetic fields rather than traditionally electrostatic fields. While this resonance, referred to as electromagnetic Landau resonance due to its properties, is considered significant for magnetospheric dynamics, rare reports or evaluations based on observations have been made thus far. Here, we present an event detected by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission near the dayside magnetopause. During this event, ∼748‐eV protons are observed to be in resonance with a wave. Detailed data analysis demonstrates the resonant velocity closely matches the wave's parallel phase speed, which, combined with the significant work done by wave perpendicular electric field, confirms this interaction as electromagnetic Landau resonance. Further investigation indicates these protons are being secularly accelerated within this resonance. Consequently, our observations provide the first empirical evidence supporting the previously suggested theoretical importance of the electromagnetic Landau resonance.

Abstract The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) refers to a region where the strength of the magnetic field is notably weaker compared to a dipole field. While previous studies have primarily focused on its effects on the inner radiation belt, this study investigates its impact on the aurora system. By analyzing 2 years' worth of data obtained by the Fengyun‐3E/ACMag instrument, we discover that magnetic fluctuations within the auroral oval are significantly weaker in the longitude sector corresponding to the SAA, as compared to those outside this area. This characteristic remains permanent and independent of seasons and geomagnetic activities. Additional investigation using Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (DMSP/SSUSI) observations reveals a similar phenomenon in the auroral intensity. Therefore, our results demonstrate that the SAA substantially weakens the aurora system, shedding new light on the effects of magnetic anomalies on planetary auroras and magnetosphere‐ionosphere‐thermosphere coupling.

Abstract Kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) are ubiquitous throughout the plasma universe. Although they are broadly believed to provide a potential approach for energy exchange between electromagnetic fields and plasma particles, neither the detail nor the efficiency of the interactions has been well-determined yet. The primary difficulty has been the paucity of knowledge of KAWs’ spatial structure in observation. Here, we apply a particle-sounding technique to Magnetospheric Multiscale mission data to quantitatively determine the perpendicular wavelength of KAWs from ion gyrophase-distribution observations. Our results show that KAWs’ perpendicular wavelength is statistically 2.4 $$\pm 0.7$$ ± 0.7 times proton thermal gyro-radius. This observation yields an upper bound of the energy the majority proton population can reach in coherent interactions with KAWs, that is, roughly 5.76 times proton perpendicular thermal energy. Therefore, the method and results shown here provide a basis for unraveling the effects of KAWs in dissipating energy and accelerating particles in a number of astrophysical systems, e.g., planetary magnetosphere, astrophysical shocks, stellar corona and wind, and the interstellar medium.

Cross-scale energy transfers in collisionless plasmas help understanding involved mechanisms. Here, the authors show simultaneous macro- and micro-scale wave-ion interactions provide an efficient mechanism for cross-scale energy transfer and plasma energization in astrophysical and space plasmas.

The Jovian plasma sheet is a key region of the Jovian magnetosphere populated by a mix of warm and hot plasma. It is the main channel for radial transport of mass and energy in the Jovian magnetosphere and provides a favorable environment for magnetic reconnection and wave–particle interactions although the understanding of its plasma properties is incomplete. This study combines observations from the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment and Juno Energetic Particle Detector Instrument on board the Juno spacecraft during its first 31 orbits to analyze the plasma properties of the Jovian plasma sheet from 20 R _J to 100 R _J . Our results indicate that the plasma number density decreases from 1 cm ^−3 at 20 R _J to 0.005 cm ^−3 at 100 R _J , while the plasma pressure decreases from 2 nPa at 20 R _J to 0.02 nPa at 100 R _J . The plasma pressure inside the plasma sheet is comparable to the magnetic pressure in the lobe region, suggesting a rough balance between the two. In the plasma sheet with r > 70 R _J , the H ^+ density and pressure remain relatively constant, likely due to other plasma sources such as the solar wind. Additionally, we find that the pressure (density) ratios for heavy ions between the center and the edge of the plasma sheet are generally an order of magnitude, while that for H ^+ decreases with radial distance. These findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the plasma properties of the Jovian plasma sheet.

This study analyzes the flux transfer event (FTE)-type flux ropes and magnetic reconnection around the dayside magnetopause during BepiColombo's Earth flyby. The magnetosheath has a high plasma β (∼ 8), and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has a significant radial component. Six flux ropes are identified around the magnetopause. The motion of flux ropes together with the maximum magnetic shear model suggests that the reconnection X-line possibly swipes BepiColombo near the magnetic equator due to an increase in the radial component of the IMF. The flux rope with the highest flux content contains a clear coalescence signature, i.e., two smaller flux ropes merge, supporting theoretical predictions that the flux contents of flux ropes can grow through coalescence. The coalescence of the two FTE-type flux ropes takes place through secondary reconnection at the point of contact between the two flux ropes. The BepiColombo measurements indicate a large normalized guide field and a reconnection rate comparable to that measured at the magnetopause (∼ 0.1).

Ring currents have been observed in the magnetospheres of Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn. Here, the authors show observational evidence of Mercury’s ring current that is bifurcated because of the dayside off-equatorial magnetic minima.

Abstract The existence of shocklets, a kind of solitary structure, has been demonstrated in the Earth's foreshock regions for decades. Their formation and evolution are believed to be controlled by ions. However, the detailed behavior of ions at them has not been well investigated observationally yet. Here, we investigate a shocklet observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission in the Earth's foreshock. Analysis of ion observations reveals that the solar wind (SW) ions are bunched in gyrophase space when interacting with the whistler precursor of the shocklet, suggesting the occurrence of cyclotron resonance between them. A more detailed examination suggests that the cyclotron resonance induces a net energy flow from the whistler precursor to the SW ions. Thus, the observations presented here indicate that the cyclotron resonance between shocklet whistler precursors and the SW ions could provide a mechanism for shocklet dissipation and SW ion energization.

Abstract Ionospheric outflow has been shown to be a dominant ion source of Earth's magnetosphere. However, most studies in the literature are about ionospheric outflow injected into the nightside magnetosphere. We still know little about ionospheric outflow injected into the dayside magnetosphere and its further energization after it enters the magnetosphere. Here, with data from Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, we report direct observations of the modulation of dayside ionospheric outflow ions by ultralow frequency (ULF) waves. The observations indicate that the modulation is mass dependent, which demonstrates the possibility of using ULF waves as a mass spectrometer to identify ion species. Moreover, the measurement suggests that polarization drift may play a role in O+ modulation, which may lead to a true acceleration and even nonadiabatic behavior of O+. This interaction scenario can work throughout the whole magnetosphere and impact upon the plasma environment and dynamics.

Magnetic cavities are universal phenomena existing in cosmic plasma environments. Here Liu et al. show electron scale magnetic cavities in proton scale magnetic cavities observed by Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft in the Earth’s magnetosheath, and depict the boundary of the electron scale magnetic cavity using particle sounding technique.

Abstract Ultra‐low frequency (ULF) waves can effectively accelerate ring current ions through drift‐bounce resonance. Conventional theories have been developed to understand this resonance since the dawn of the space age, which usually assume ULF waves are quasi‐steady in time. However, ULF waves would experience growth and damping stages in the real magnetosphere, which requires an adjustment of the conventional theories. Here, we attempt to reveal how ions respond to evolving ULF waves. By analyzing an event observed by Van Allen Probe A and reproducing the observations via simulation, we find the phase shift of ion flux oscillation across resonant pitch angles varies with time, when wave growth and damping cannot be neglected. As a result, the inclination angle of stripes in pitch angle spectrogram varies with time, causing “fishbone‐like” pitch angle structures. One should take into account such ion behaviors when considering the role of drift‐bounce resonance in the real magnetosphere.

During magnetospheric substorms and plasma transport in the Earth's magnetotail various magnetic structures can be detected. Dipolarization fronts and flux ropes are the most prominent structures characteristic for substorm dynamics. However, they are treated as separate magnetotail features independent of each other. In this paper, we analyze a number of dipolarization fronts observed by the THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) spacecraft at different geocentric distances by applying the magnetohydrostatic Grad–Shafranov (GS) reconstruction technique. Our analysis shows that there is a possibility of dipolarization fronts to originate from highly dissipated flux ropes which are in the late stage of their evolution, subjected to a continuous magnetic deterioration due to the reconnection process. These results may improve our understanding of magnetoplasma processes in Earth's magnetotail.

We investigate the global response of the geospace plasma environment to an interplanetary (IP) shock at ~02:24 UT on 28 May 2008 from multiple THEMIS spacecraft observations in the magnetosheath (THEMIS B and C), the mid-afternoon magnetosphere (THEMIS A), and the dusk magnetosphere (THEMIS D and E). The interaction of the transmitted IP shock with the magnetosphere has global effects. Consequently, it can affect geospace plasma significantly. After interacting with the bow shock, the IP shock transmitted a fast shock and a discontinuity which propagated through the magnetosheath toward the Earth at speeds of 301 km s−1 and 137 km s−1, respectively. THEMIS A observations indicate that the IP shock changed the properties of a plasmaspheric plume significantly. The plasmaspheric plume density increased rapidly from 10 to 100 cm−3 in 4 min and the ion distribution changed from an isotropic to a strongly anisotropic distribution. Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves observed by THEMIS A are most likely excited by the anisotropic ion distributions caused by the IP shock impact. THEMIS A, but not D or E, observed a plasmaspheric plume in the dayside magnetosphere. Multiple spacecraft observations indicate that the dawn-side edge of the plasmaspheric plume was located between THEMIS A and D (or E).

We investigated a number of substorm events during major conjunctions of the THEMIS spacecraft for the tail seasons of the mission. We present simultaneous observations from various instruments onboard the THEMIS spacecraft during the events. We focus particularly on events when at least one of the THEMIS spacecraft is adjacent to the neutral sheet where convectional plasma flows are observed. The events demonstrate clear dipolarization signatures accompanied by high-speed earthward plasma flows and intense wave activity. We present evidence that flux ropes are embedded within the high-speed earthward convective plasma sheet flows. This fact has important implications since the leading edge of the flux rope having south polarity can impulsively merge with the north polarity field of the stretched magnetotail leading to mutual erosion of both magnetic structures. The merging of the vertically oriented oppositely-directed field lines can lead to local cross-tail current reduction and flux rope dissipation. These observations are very important in explaining the mechanism triggering near-Earth dipolarization and particle acceleration to supra-thermal energies, since they can be associated with non-adiabatic conditions and breakdown of the frozen-in condition in the near-Earth magnetotail similar to that taking place during magnetic reconnection in the mid-tail.

The multi-spacecraft timing method, a data analysis technique based on four-point measurements to obtain the normal vector and velocity of an observed boundary, has been widely applied to various discontinuities in the solar wind and the magnetosphere studies. In this paper, we perform simulations to analyze the errors of the timing method by specifying the error sources to the uncertainties in the determination of the time delays between each spacecraft pair. It is shown that the timing method may have large errors if either the spacecraft tetrahedron is largely elongated and/or flattened, or the discontinuity moves much slower than the constellation itself. The results, therefore, suggest that some of the applications of the timing method require reexamination with special caution, in particular for the studies of the slow-moving discontinuities associated with, for example, the plasmaspheric plumes.

An extensive study of ring current injection and intensification of the storm-time ring current is conducted with three-dimensional (3-D) test particle trajectory calculations (TPTCs). The TPTCs reveal more accurately the process of ring current injection, with the main results being the following: (1) an intense convection electric field can effectively energize and inject plasma sheet particles into the ring current region within 1–3 h. (2) Injected ions often follow chaotic trajectories in non-adiabatic regions, which may have implications in storm and ring current physics. (3) The shielding electric field, which arises as a consequence of enhanced convection and co-exists with the injection and convection electric field, may cause the original open trajectories of injected ions with higher energy to change into closed ones, thus playing a role in the formation of the symmetric ring current.

The study focuses on a single particle dynamics in the cusp region. The topology of the cusp region in terms of magnetic field iso-B contours has been studied using the Tsyganenko 96 model (T96) as an example, to show the importance of an off-equatorial minimum on particle trapping. We carry out test particle simulations to demonstrate the bounce and drift motion. The "cusp trapping limit" concept is introduced to reflect the particle motion in the high latitude magnetospheric region. The spatial distribution of the "cusp trapping limit" shows that only those particles with near 90° pitch-angles can be trapped and drift around the cusp. Those with smaller pitch angles may be partly trapped in the iso-B contours, however, they will eventually escape along one of the magnetic field lines. There exist both open field lines and closed ones within the same drift orbit, indicating two possible destinations of these particles: those particles being lost along open field lines will be connected to the surface of the magnetopause and the solar wind, while those along closed ones will enter the equatorial radiation belt. Thus, it is believed that the cusp region can provide a window for particle exchange between these two regions. Some of the factors, such as dipole tilt angle, magnetospheric convection, IMF and the Birkeland current system, may influence the cusp's trapping capability and therefore affect the particle exchanging mechanism. Their roles are examined by both the analysis of cusp magnetic topology and test particle simulations.

In order to avoid the ambiguity of the application of the Triangulation Method (multi-spacecraft timing method) to two-dimensional structures, another version of this method, the Multiple Triangulation Analysis (MTA) is used, to calculate the velocities of these structures based on 4-point measurements. We describe the principle of MTA and apply this approach to a real event observed by the Cluster constellation on 2 October 2003. The resulting velocity of the 2-D structure agrees with the ones obtained by some other methods fairly well. So we believe that MTA is a reliable version of the Triangulation Method for 2-D structures, and thus provides us a new way to describe their motion.

Observations by the Cluster spacecraft of VLF/ELF wave activity show distinct signatures for different regions in the vicinity of high altitude polar cusps, which are identified by using magnetic field and plasma data along spacecraft trajectories. These waves include: (1) Broad band magnetic noise observed in the polar cusp at frequencies from several Hz to ~100 Hz, below the local electron cyclotron frequency, fce. Similar magnetic noise is also observed in the high latitude magnetosheath and the magnetopause boundary layer. (2) Strong broad band electrostatic emissions observed in the cusp, in the magnetosheath, and in the high latitude magnetopause boundary layer, at frequencies extending from several Hz to tens of kHz, with maximum intensities below ~100 Hz. (3) Narrow-band electromagnetic whistler waves at frequencies ~0.2–0.6 fce, frequently observed in the closed boundary layer (CBL) adjacent to the polar cusp. These waves are for the first time observed in this region to be accompanied by counter-streaming electron beams of ~100 eV, which suggests that the waves are excited by these electrons through wave-particle interaction. (4) Narrow-band electrostatic waves observed slightly above the local fce in the CBL. (5) Lion roars, observed in the high latitude magnetosheath, often in magnetic troughs of mirror mode oscillations. The above wave signatures can serve as indicators of the regions in the vicinity of the magnetospheric cusp.

Another approach (Multiple Triangulation Analysis, MTA) is presented to determine the orientation of magnetic flux rope, based on 4-point measurements. A 2-D flux rope model is used to examine the accuracy of the MTA technique in a theoretical way. It is found that the precision of the estimated orientation is dependent on both the spacecraft separation and the constellation path relative to the flux rope structure. However, the MTA error range can be shown to be smaller than that of the traditional MVA technique. As an application to real Cluster data, several flux rope events on 26 January 2001 are analyzed using MTA, to obtain their orientations. The results are compared with the ones obtained by several other methods which also yield flux rope orientation. The estimated axis orientations are shown to be fairly close, suggesting the reliability of the MTA method.

The recent launch of the equatorial spacecraft of the Double Star mission, TC-1, has provided an unprecedented opportunity to monitor the southern hemisphere dayside magnetopause boundary layer in conjunction with northern hemisphere observations by the quartet of Cluster spacecraft. We present first results of one such situation where, on 6 April 2004, both Cluster and the Double Star TC-1 spacecraft were on outbound transits through the dawnside magnetosphere. The observations are consistent with ongoing reconnection on the dayside magnetopause, resulting in a series of flux transfer events (FTEs) seen both at Cluster and TC-1, which appear to lie north and south of the reconnection line, respectively. In fact, the observed polarity and motion of each FTE signature advocates the existence of an active reconnection region consistently located between the positions of Cluster and TC-1, with Cluster observing northward moving FTEs with +/- polarity, whereas TC-1 sees -/+ polarity FTEs. This assertion is further supported by the application of a model designed to track flux tube motion for the prevailing interplanetary conditions. The results from this model show, in addition, that the low-latitude FTE dynamics are sensitive to changes in convected upstream conditions. In particular, changing the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) clock angle in the model suggests that TC-1 should miss the resulting FTEs more often than Cluster and this is borne out by the observations.

Energetic electrons with 90deg pitch angle have been observed in the magnetotail at ~19 RE near local midnight during the recovery phase of a substorm event on 27 August 2001 (Baker et al., 2002). Based on auroral images Baker et al. (2002) placed the substorm expansion phase between ~04:06:16 and ~04:08:19 UT. The electron enhancements perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field occurred while the Cluster spacecraft were on closed field lines in the central plasma sheet approaching the neutral sheet. Magnetic field and energetic particle measurements have been employed from a number of satellites, in order to determine the source and the subsequent appearance of these electrons at the Cluster location. It is found that ~7.5 min after an X-line formation observed by Cluster (Baker et al., 2002) a current disruption event took place inside geosynchronous orbit and subsequently expanded both in local time and tailward, giving rise to field-aligned currents and the formation of a current wedge. A synthesis of tail reconnection and the cross-tail current disruption scenario is proposed for the substorm global initiation process: When a fast flow with northward magnetic field, produced by magnetic reconnection in the midtail, abruptly decelerates at the inner edge of the plasma sheet, it compresses the plasma populations earthward of the front, altering dynamically the Bz magnetic component in the current sheet. This provides the necessary and sufficient conditions for the kinetic cross-field streaming/current (KCSI/CFCI) instability (Lui et al., 1990, 1991) to initiate. As soon as the ionospheric conductance increases over a threshold level, the auroral electrojet is greatly intensified (see Fig. 2 in Baker et al., 2002), which leads to the formation of the substorm current wedge and dipolarization of the magnetic field. This substorm scenario combines the near-Earth neutral line and the current disruption for the initiation of substorms, at least during steady southward IMF. One can conclude the following: The observations suggest that the anisotropic electron increases observed by Cluster are not related to an acceleration mechanism associated with the X-line formation in the midtail, but rather these particles are generated in the dusk magnetospheric sector due to the longitudinal and tailward expansion of a current disruption region and subsequently observed at the Cluster location with no apparent energy dispersion. Keywords. Magnetospheric physics (Magnetotail; Plasma convection; Storms and substorms)

The advanced energetic particle spectrometer RAPID on board Cluster can provide a complete description of the relevant particle parameters velocity, V , and atomic mass, A, over an energy range from 30 keV up to 1.5 MeV. We present the first measurements taken by RAPID during the commissioning and the early operating phases. The orbit on 14 January 2001, when Cluster was travelling from a perigee near dawn northward across the pole towards an apogee in the solar wind, is used to demonstrate the capabilities of RAPID in investigating a wide variety of particle populations. RAPID, with its unique capability of measuring the complete angular distribution of energetic particles, allows for the simultaneous measurements of local density gradients, as reflected in the anisotropies of 90° particles and the remote sensing of changes in the distant field line topology, as manifested in the variations of loss cone properties. A detailed discussion of angle-angle plots shows considerable differences in the structure of the boundaries between the open and closed field lines on the nightside fraction of the pass and the magnetopause crossing. The 3 March 2001 encounter of Cluster with an FTE just outside the magnetosphere is used to show the first structural plasma investigations of an FTE by energetic multi-spacecraft observations.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (energetic particles, trapped; magnetopause, cusp and boundary layers; magnetosheath)