Tail Reconnection Triggering Substorm Onset
@article{Angelopoulos2008TailRT, title={Tail Reconnection Triggering Substorm Onset}, author={Vassilis Angelopoulos and James P. Mcfadden and Davin E. Larson and Charles W. Carlson and Stephen B. Mende and Harald U. Frey and Tai D. Phan and David Gary Sibeck and Karl‐Heinz Glassmeier and Uli Auster and Eric F. Donovan and Ian R. Mann and I. Jonathan Rae and Christopher T. Russell and Andrei Runov and Xu‐Zhi Zhou and Larry Kepko}, journal={Science}, year={2008}, volume={321}, pages={931 - 935} }
Magnetospheric substorms explosively release solar wind energy previously stored in Earth's magnetotail, encompassing the entire magnetosphere and producing spectacular auroral displays. It has been unclear whether a substorm is triggered by a disruption of the electrical current flowing across the near-Earth magnetotail, at ∼10 RE (RE: Earth radius, or 6374 kilometers), or by the process of magnetic reconnection typically seen farther out in the magnetotail, at ∼20 to 30 RE. We report on…
494 Citations
Mid‐Tail Magnetic Reconnection Triggering Substorm: A Case Study
- Physics
- 2010
Onset of a substorm is closely correlated with the current disruption in the near-Earth magnetotail, about 6~8 RE and magnetic reconnection in the middle magnetotail, around 20~30 RE. It is vital to…
Evolution of kinklike fluctuations associated with ion pickup within reconnection outflows in the Earth's magnetotail
- Physics
- 2009
Magnetic reconnection (MR) in Earth's magnetotail is usually followed by a systemwide redistribution of explosively released kinetic and thermal energy. Recently, multispacecraft observations from…
Magnetotail reconnection onset caused by electron kinetics with a strong external driver
- PhysicsNature communications
- 2020
It is shown, using spacecraft observations and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, that magnetotail reconnection starts from electron reconnection in the presence of a strong external driver and develops into ion reconnection.
Multipoint observations of dipolarization front formation by magnetotail reconnection
- Physics
- 2012
[1] We present multipoint observations of magnetotail plasma sheet dynamics during an event in which magnetic reconnection and dipolarization were observed at −16 < X < −15 RE (mid-tail) and at −10 <…
On the retreat of near-Earth neutral line during substorm expansion phase: a THEMIS case study during the 9 January 2008 substorm
- Physics, Geography
- 2012
Abstract. The location of magnetic reconnection in the mid-tail during a substorm was studied in many researches. Here we present multi-point THEMIS observations of a reconnection event in the…
Bursty magnetic reconnection at the Earth's magnetopause triggered by high-speed jets
- PhysicsPhysics of Plasmas
- 2021
The impact of high-speed jets – dynamic pressure enhancements in the magnetosheath – on the Earth’s magnetopause has been observed to trigger local magnetic reconnection. We perform a…
Magnetic reconnection X‐line retreat associated with dipolarization of the Earth's magnetosphere
- Physics
- 2011
Magnetic reconnection is the key process of plasma transport in the Earth's magnetotail. The ‘X‐line’ where magnetic field lines reconnect often moves away from the Earth. However, the precise cause…
Comment on “Tail Reconnection Triggering Substorm Onset”
- PhysicsScience
- 2009
Evidence is provided that near-Earth current disruption, occurring before the conventional tail reconnection signatures, triggered the onset of a magnetospheric substorm, and the observed auroral intensification and tail reconnections are not causally linked.
Inner magnetospheric onset preceding reconnection and tail dynamics during substorms: Can substorms initiate in two different regions?
- Physics
- 2014
We present a detailed ground‐based and in situ examination of two substorms on 9 April 2011 providing one of the most detailed observations of a series of activations to date. Using auroral…
Construction of magnetic reconnection in the near‐Earth magnetotail with Geotail
- Physics
- 2011
[1] The Geotail spacecraft made in situ observations of magnetic reconnection on 15 May 2003 in the near-Earth magnetotail at a radial distance of 28 RE when a moderate substorm started on the…
References
SHOWING 1-10 OF 26 REFERENCES
In situ observations of magnetotail reconnection prior to the onset of a small substorm
- Physics
- 1995
On April 15, 1979 at 0645 UT, several minutes prior to the expansion phase onset of a weak substorm, the ISEE 1 and 2 spacecraft were located 16 R{sub E} downtail and close to local midnight. The two…
In situ detection of collisionless reconnection in the Earth's magnetotail
- Physics, GeologyNature
- 2001
The serendipitous encounter of the Wind spacecraft with an active reconnection diffusion region is reported, in which are detected key processes predicted by models of collisionless reconnection in the magnetotail.
Explosive tail reconnection: The growth and expansion phases of magnetospheric substorms
- Physics
- 1985
In the current “conceptual” model of magnetospheric substorms, the growth phase terminates and the expansion phase commences with the onset of rapid reconnection at a new, near-earth X-type neutral…
Relative timing of substorm onset phenomena
- Physics
- 2003
[1] In this paper we examine the temporal ordering of midtail flow bursts, Pi2 pulsations, and auroral arc brightening at substorm onset. We present three substorm events for which the Geotail…
Structure and dynamics of magnetic reconnection for substorm onsets with Geotail observations
- Physics
- 1998
Fast tailward ion flows with strongly southward magnetic fields are frequently observed near the neutral sheet in the premidnight sector of the magnetotail at 20–30 RE for substorm onsets in Geotail…
Magnetotail flow bursts: Association to global magnetospheric circulation, relationship to ionospheric activity and direct evidence for localization
- Physics
- 1997
A series of bursty bulk flow events (BBFs) were observed by GEOTAIL and WIND in the geomagnetotail. IMP8 at the solar wind showed significant energy coupling into the magnetosphere, while the UVI…
Current disruption in the Earth's magnetosphere: Observations and models
- Physics
- 1996
Observations and models of current disruption in the Earth's magnetosphere are briefly reviewed. At the approach of current disruption onset, the cross‐tail current sheet shows a rapid growth in the…
Characteristics of pseudobreakups and substorms observed in the ionosphere, at the geosynchronous orbit, and in the midtail
- Physics
- 1999
We present a comprehensive study of a sequence of two substorms and multiple pseudobreakups using optical, magnetic and incoherent scatter radar measurements, energetic particles from two…
The magnetotail and substorms
- Physics
- 1973
The tail plays a very active and important role in substorms. Magnetic flux eroded from the dayside magnetosphere is stored here. As more and more flux is transported to the magnetotail and stored,…
Geotail observations of the Hall current system: Evidence of magnetic reconnection in the magnetotail
- Physics
- 2001
In a two-fluid picture of magnetic reconnection, inflow electrons flow with the magnetic field line to the diffusion region, whereas inflow ions cannot reach the diffusion region and rest around a…