Plasma acceleration at the earth's magnetopause - Evidence for reconnection
Abstract
Observations of high-speed plasma at the magnetopause in agreement with theoretical predictions of magnetic field reconnection are reported. Plasma ion and electron distributions measured by the quadrispherical analyzers on board the ISEE 1 and 2 spacecraft were obtained during the outbound traversal of the subsolar magnetopause. Plasma flow speeds of up to 450 km/sec were observed in the magnetopause layer, in contrast to speeds of 50 to 100 km/sec in the adjacent magnetosheath. The observations agree with the predictions of the reconnection model of the dayside magnetopause, in which the magnetopause is described as a rotational discontinuity, or a large-amplitude Alfven wave. It is noted that the lack of observations of plasma acceleration in most other cases of favorable magnetic field orientation could be a product of the rarity of magnetic recombination, or its small scale and nonstationarity.
- Publication:
-
Nature
- Pub Date:
- November 1979
- DOI:
- 10.1038/282243a0
- Bibcode:
- 1979Natur.282..243P
- Keywords:
-
- Geomagnetism;
- Magnetic Field Reconnection;
- Magnetohydrodynamic Flow;
- Magnetopause;
- Plasma Acceleration;
- International Sun Earth Explorers;
- Magnetohydrodynamic Waves;
- Magnetosheath;
- Magnetospheric Instability;
- Geophysics;
- GEOMAGNETISM;
- MAGNETIC FIELD RECONNECTION;
- MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC FLOW;
- MAGNETOPAUSE;
- PLASMA ACCELERATION;
- INTERNATIONAL SUN EARTH EXPLORERS;
- MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC WAVES;
- MAGNETOSHEATH;
- MAGNETOSPHERIC INSTABILITY