Multi-spacecraft observations of the CPS and PSBL using the CIS instruments on CLUSTER
Abstract
We present multi-spacecraft observations of the Central Plasma Sheet (CPS) and the Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer (PSBL) as observed by the CIS-CODIF instrument on CLUSTER. During these passes the spacecraft have apogee (XGSE ~20 Re) in the midnight region. The CIS-CODIF instrument measured ion distribution functions of the major species, H+, He++, He+ and O+ over the energy range 20 eV - 40 keV. In this study we focus in the presence of earthward and tailward ion beams and flows in the CPS and PSBL where two types of ion populations were observed. Earthward ion flows at energies 1 keV - 10 keV and low energy (< ~100 eV) field aligned ions coming from the Earth with the O+ ions appearing predominately as field aligned tailward beams. The composition and directional information will be used to infer the source of the CPS and PSBL plasma. During the comissioning phase (September 2000) the spacecraft crossed the night side plasma sheet with a separation of ~600 km, while the current (September 2001) separation is ~2000 km. This bigger separation seems to be necessary (in contrast to the smaller separation) for the distinction between spatial and temporal structures.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2001
- Bibcode:
- 2001AGUFMSM22A0812M
- Keywords:
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- 2764 Plasma sheet;
- 2788 Storms and substorms