HR: 16:40h
AN: SM14A-03 INVITED [Abstracts]
TI: Cluster observations of magnetospheric substorm expansion and recovery phase features in the near- and
mid-tail regions: Comparison with numerical simulations
AU: * Farr, N
EM: nathan.farr@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: LASP/Univ. of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303-7814
United States
AU: Baker, D N
EM: daniel.baker@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: LASP/Univ. of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303-7814
United States
AU: Monk, S
EM: steve.monk@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: LASP/Univ. of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303-7814
United States
AU: Wiltberger, M
EM: wiltbemj@ucar.edu
AF: HAO/NCAR, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO 80307
United States
AU: Wu, P
EM: pwu@bu.edu
AF: Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215
United States
AU: Zong, Q
EM: zong@bu.edu
AF: Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215
United States
AU: Fritz, T A
EM: fritz@bu.edu
AF: Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215
United States
AB:
The Cluster constellation of spacecraft is well-suited for the study of plasma sheet thinning and expansion associated with
magnetospheric substorm dynamics in the magnetotail. The Cluster orbital apogee of r = 19 R_E often places the spacecraft
set in a good location to be close to the subtorm neutral line position. Starting with RAPID energetic particle data from the
Cluster spacecraft, we have identified numerous clear substorm events in the 2001 through 2004 tail passage seasons. We have
also examined corresponding events in POLAR and geostationary orbit data sets. We find that thinning/expansion sequences are
observable quite broadly over large radial and azimuthal distances in most events. However, details of particle burst
phenomena differ markedly with radial distance. We compare observational results with numerical simulations of the
matnetospheric dynamical processes. We focus on the implications for substorm models in this presentation.
DE: 2731 Magnetosphere: outer
DE: 2784 Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
DE: 2788 Magnetic storms and substorms (7954)
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005