HR: 0800h
AN: SH31A-1171    [Abstracts]
TI: The Diffusion Mean Free Path Upstream of Earth's Quasi-Parallel Bow Shock
AU: Kis, A
EM: akis@mpe.mpg.de
AF: Max-Planck-Inst. extraterr.Physik, P.O.Box 1312, Garching, 85741 Germany
AU: * Scholer, M
EM: mbs@mpe.mpg.de
AF: Max-Planck-Inst. extraterr.Physik, P.O.Box 1312, Garching, 85741 Germany
AU: Klecker, B
EM: berndt.klecker@mpe.mpg.de
AF: Max-Planck-Inst. extraterr.Physik, P.O.Box 1312, Garching, 85741 Germany
AU: Moebius, E
EM: eberhard.moebius@unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, EOS, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AU: Lucek, E
EM: e.lucek@imperial.ac.uk
AF: Imperial College, Blackett Lab., London, SW7 2BW United Kingdom
AU: Reme, H
EM: henri.reme@cesr.fr
AF: CESR, 9 Ave Colonel Roche, Toulouse, 31028 France
AU: Bosqued, J
EM: bosqued@cesr.fr
AF: CESR, 9 Ave Colonel Roche, Toulouse, 31028 France
AU: Kistler, L M
EM: lynn.kistler@unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, EOS, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AU: Kucharek, H
EM: kucharek@atlas.sr.unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, EOS, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AB: We have analyzed a number of diffuse upstream particle events observed by Cluster when the spacecraft separation was between 1 and 1.5 Earth radii. The spatial gradient of the partial ion densities parallel to the magnetic field has been determined in several energy bands as a function of distance from the bow shock. For the events investigated the e-folding distance increases with decreasing solar wind speed. Assuming that upstream diffusion is balanced by downstream convection we can determine the spatial diffusion mean free path as a function of energy. Since the mean free path is proportional to the e-folding distance and proportional to the solar wind speed the mean free path is approximately independent of solar wind velocity.
DE: 7514 Energetic particles (2114)
DE: 7851 Shock waves
DE: 2154 Planetary bow shocks
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting