HR: 0830h
AN: SM21B-0199    [PDF]
TI: Cluster: Bifurcated Current Sheets and Substorm Dynamics
AU: * Thompson, S M
EM: sthompson@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: UCLA Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, 3845 Slichter Hall Box 951567, Los Angeles, CA 90095 United States
AU: Margaret, K G
EM: mkivelson@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: UCLA Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, 3845 Slichter Hall Box 951567, Los Angeles, CA 90095 United States
AU: Krishan, K K
EM: kkhurana@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: UCLA Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, 3845 Slichter Hall Box 951567, Los Angeles, CA 90095 United States
AU: Robert, M L
EM: rmcpherron@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: UCLA Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, 3845 Slichter Hall Box 951567, Los Angeles, CA 90095 United States
AU: Andre, B
EM: a.balogh@ic.ac.uk
AF: Imperial College, Department of Physics, London, SW72BZ United Kingdom
AU: Hsu, T
EM: thsu@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: UCLA Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, 3845 Slichter Hall Box 951567, Los Angeles, CA 90095 United States
AB: We report on the evidence for "bifurcated" current sheets in the near-Earth plasma sheet and the possible association of such current sheets with substorm processes. Recent studies using Cluster data have shown evidence for current sheets with two current density peaks rather than a single current density peak as expected for a Harris-type configuration. We will present a statistical search for such bifurcated current density profiles and examine whether such intervals are associated with substorm onsets in the near-Earth plasma sheet. If such bifurcations are associated with onsets, it is possible a double-peaked current density profile is evidence for the structuring of the current expected near a reconnection X-line. As an introduction, a test of the macroscopic consistency of current densities relative to changes in the magnetic field will be presented. We find that the current densities measured with Cluster are often quite reliable.
DE: 2744 Magnetotail
DE: 2748 Magnetotail boundary layers
DE: 2764 Plasma sheet
SC: SPA - Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting