HR: 1330h
AN: SM12A-1192    [PDF]
TI: Cluster Electron Cusp Dispersions and IMAGE Proton Auroras as Evidence for Continuous Merging at the Magnetosphere
AU: * Wendel, D E
EM: dwendel@rice.edu
AF: Rice University, 6100 Main St., MS 108, Houston, TX 77005 United States
AU: Reiff, P H
EM: reiff@rice.edu
AF: Rice University, 6100 Main St., MS 108, Houston, TX 77005 United States
AU: Fazakerley, A
AF: Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, RH5ZNT United Kingdom
AU: Bosqued, J
AF: CESR/CNRS, 9 Avenue du Colonel Roche P. O. Box 4346 31028, Toulouse, Cedex4 France
AU: Mende, S
AF: Space Physics Research Group, University of California at Berkeley, SSL, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450 United States
AU: Goldstein, M L
AF: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Winningham, J D
AF: Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Rd. P.O. Box 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228 United States
AB: Whether magnetic reconnection at the earth is intrinsically non-steady is still a controversial question. Some authors have made a case for a pulsed merging process, with 1 minute of active reconnection followed by 8 minutes without merging. To pursue this issue, we examine Cluster cusp crossings for evidence of ongoing electron dispersion. Because electrons disperse very rapidly before becoming trapped with dispersing ions, their dispersion indicates contact with a field line that is still actively reconnecting. The detection of electron dispersions on multiple satellite cusp crossings, during periods of steady IMF and ideal inter-spacecraft spacing (less than 8 minutes and greater than 1 minute), would support a more continuous merging process. A statistical estimate of the number of Cluster cusp crossings with electron dispersions may serve as a proxy, in the absence of ideal inter-spacecraft spacing and extended periods of steady IMF. Moreover, SI-12 proton aurora data supplement Cluster electron and ion data in tracking the presence of an active merging sight.
DE: 7800 SPACE PLASMA PHYSICS
DE: 7835 Magnetic reconnection
SC: SPA - Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting