[1] This paper presents THEMIS measurements of two substorm events to show how the substorm current wedge (SCW) is generated. In the late growth phase when an earthward flow burst in the near-Earth magnetotail brakes and is diverted azimuthally, pressure gradients in the X-and Y-directions are observed to increase in the pileup and diverting regions of the flow. The enhanced pressure gradient in the Y-direction is dawnward (duskward) on the dawnside (duskside) where a clockwise (counter-clockwise) vortex forms. This dawn-dusk pressure gradient drives downward (upward) field-aligned current (FAC) on the dawnside (duskside) of the flow, which, when combined with the FACs generated by the clockwise (counter-clockwise) vortex, forms the SCW. Substorm auroral onset occurs when the vortices appear, Near-Earth dipolarization onset is observed by the THEMIS spacecraft (probes) when a rapid jump in the Y-component of pressure gradient is detected. The total FACs from the vortex and the azimuthal pressure gradient are found to be comparable to the DP-1 current in a typical substorm. Citation: Yao, Z. H., et al. (2012), Mechanism of substorm current wedge formation: THEMIS observations, Geophys.
Mercury's magnetopause is unique in the solar system due to its relatively small size and its close proximity to the Sun. Based on 3 years of MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging orbital Magnetometer and the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer data, the mean magnetopause location was determined for a total of 5694 passes. We fit these magnetopause locations to a three‐dimensional nonaxially symmetric magnetopause which includes an indentation for the cusp region that has been successfully applied to the Earth. Our model predicts that Mercury's magnetopause is highly indented surrounding the cusp with central depth ~0.64 RM and large dayside extension. The dayside polar magnetopause dimension is, thus, smaller than the equatorial magnetopause dimension. Cross sections of the dayside magnetopause in planes perpendicular to the Mercury‐Sun line are prolate and elongated along the dawn‐dusk direction. In contrast, the magnetopause downstream of the terminator plane is larger in the north‐south than the east‐west directions by a ratio of 2.6 RM to 2.2 RM at a distance of 1.5 RM downstream of Mercury. Due to the northward offset of the internal dipole, the model predicts that solar wind has direct access to the surface of Mercury at middle magnetic latitudes in the southern hemisphere. During extremely high solar wind pressure conditions, the northern hemisphere middle magnetic latitudes may also be subject to direct solar wind impact.
[1] Flux transfer events (FTEs) are magnetic flux ropes formed at planetary magnetopauses (MPs). Although evidence suggests that FTEs form through time-dependent magnetic reconnection, details of that process and 3D structure of the flux ropes remain largely unclear. This letter presents Double Star/TC-1 data of an FTE occurred on 7 April 2004 which show that the FTE was separated by two X-lines moving south-dawnward. In particular, the electron energy-pitch angle distribution implies that the FTE was composed of flux ropes of all four possible magnetic topologies, indicating that the field lines must have reconnected multiple times. This is an intrinsic property of FTEs formed by 3D multiple X-line reconnection distinguished from quasi 2D FTE models. This knowledge of FTE magnetic topologies helps to improve our understanding of solar wind-magnetosphere coupling at the MP. Citation: Pu,
MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) measurements taken during passes over Mercury's dayside hemisphere indicate that on four occasions the spacecraft remained in the magnetosheath even though it reached altitudes below 300 km. During these disappearing dayside magnetosphere (DDM) events, the spacecraft did not encounter the magnetopause until it was at very high magnetic latitudes, ~66 to 80°. These DDM events stand out with respect to their extremely high solar wind dynamic pressures, Psw ~140 to 290 nPa, and intense southward magnetic fields, Bz ~ −100 to −400 nT, measured in the magnetosheath. In addition, the bow shock was observed very close to the surface during these events with a subsolar altitude of ~1,200 km. It is suggested that DDM events, which are closely associated with coronal mass ejections, are due to solar wind compression and/or reconnection‐driven erosion of the dayside magnetosphere. The very low altitude of the bow shock during these events strongly suggests that the solar wind impacts much of Mercury's sunlit hemisphere during these events. More study of these disappearing dayside events is required, but it is likely that solar wind sputtering of neutrals from the surface into the exosphere maximizes during these intervals.
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