HR: 0800h
AN: SM11A-1180    [Abstracts]
TI: Determination of the Quiet-Time Far-Tail Current Sheet Thickness Using Geotial CPI Data and Nonlinear Dynamics Modeling
AU: Holland, D L
EM: holland@phy.ilstu.edu
AF: Illinois State University Department of Physics, 313C Moulton Hall, Normal, IL 61790-4560 United States
AU: * Ansher, J A
EM: anshe@phy.ilstu.edu
AF: Illinois State University Department of Physics, 313C Moulton Hall, Normal, IL 61790-4560 United States
AU: Martin, R F
EM: rfm@phy.ilstu.edu
AF: Illinois State University Department of Physics, 313C Moulton Hall, Normal, IL 61790-4560 United States
AU: Matsuoka, H
EM: hmb@phy.ilstu.edu
AF: Illinois State University Department of Physics, 313C Moulton Hall, Normal, IL 61790-4560 United States
AU: Jhaveri, V
EM: vgjhave@ilstu.edu
AF: Illinois State University Department of Physics, 313C Moulton Hall, Normal, IL 61790-4560 United States
AB: Computer simulations of nonlinear charged particle dynamics in magnetotail0like magnetic fields have pointed towards the existence of an ion distribution function signature that manifests itself as a serried of peaks and valleys. The separation of the peaks has been shown to scale as the fourth root of the normalized energy, where the normalization in turn depends on the parameters that describe the magnetic field structure, i.e. the current sheet half-thickness and the ratio of the magnetic field strength at the mid-plane to the asymptotic magnetic field strength. Using ion distributions functions and magnetic field data from the GEOTAIL spacecraft, it has been shown that this signature may be used to determine the quiet-time (Kp < 2-) current sheet thickness. In this paper, we extend our previous work in this area to include measurements in the regime -100$R_E$ < $X_{GSE}$ < -20$R_E$. We have also improved our ability to estimate the magnetic field strength at the mid-plane by employing a minimum variance analysis to obtain the magnetic field component normal to the current sheet. Preliminary analysis of the data indicates that the current sheet is remarkably uniform throughout the region
DE: 7839 Nonlinear phenomena
DE: 2744 Magnetotail
DE: 2764 Plasma sheet
DE: 2794 Instruments and techniques
DE: 3220 Nonlinear dynamics
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting