Temperature and Density of the Plasma Sheet From Remote Observations With 1-70 keV Energetic Neutral Atoms
Abstract
In a recent study, McComas et. al. (submitted to GRL 08/22/02) showed the first energetic neutral atom (ENA) observations of the extended plasma sheet, taken with the Medium Energy Neutral Atom (MENA) imager on the IMAGE spacecraft. These authors examined two magnetospheric storm intervals, from the period of September 21 through October 11 of 2000, and showed that plasma sheet loading began prior to the storms and continued under all IMF BZ orientations, reaching its maximum during the peaks of the storms. In this study, we further investigate the MENA observations from these storm intervals to create two-dimensional maps (GSM X-Y) of the ion temperature and density in the mid-tail plasma sheet. We then go on to show how these temperature and density distributions evolve over the magnetospheric storm intervals and interpret them in terms of plasma sheet filling, energization, and injection into the partial ring current.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002AGUFMSM72A0607V
- Keywords:
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- 2744 Magnetotail;
- 2764 Plasma sheet;
- 2788 Storms and substorms