HR: 16:45h
AN: SM14A-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Cluster multi-point observation of the thin current sheets in the magnetotail
AU: * Nakamura, R
EM: rumi.nakamura@oeaw.ac.at
AF: IWF/OEAW, Schmiedlstr. 6, Graz, 8042 Austria
AU: Baumjohann, W
EM: baumjohann@oeaw.ac.at
AF: IWF/OEAW, Schmiedlstr. 6, Graz, 8042 Austria
AU: Runov, A
EM: andrei.runov@oeaw.ac.at
AF: IWF/OEAW, Schmiedlstr. 6, Graz, 8042 Austria
AU: Asano, Y
EM: yoshihiro.asano@oeaw.ac.at
AF: IWF/OEAW, Schmiedlstr. 6, Graz, 8042 Austria
AU: Balogh, A
AF: Imperial College, Prince Coast Road, London, SW7 2BZ United Kingdom
AU: Mouikis, C
EM: cmouikis@atlas.sr.unh.edu
AF: University New Hampshire, Space Science Center, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AU: Kistler, L M
EM: Lynn.KISTLER@unh.edu
AF: University New Hampshire, Space Science Center, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AU: Klecker, B
EM: berndt.klecker@mpe.mpg.de
AF: MPE, Postfach 1312, Garching, 85741 Germany
AU: Reme, H
EM: Reme@cesr.fr
AF: CESR/CNRS, 9 Avenue du Colonel Roche, Toulouse, F-31028 France
AB: The current sheet and its dynamics are one of the most essential elements in magnetotail physics. Particulary, thin current sheets with a spatial scale less than a few ion gyro radii are known to play an important role in the energy conversion process in the magnetotail. During the summer 2003, when the tetrahedron scale of Cluster was about 250 km, detailed structures of thin current sheets were resolved using multipoint measurements. We present examples of thin current sheets during different conditions: substorm growth phase, high-speed flows associated with an X line as well as during a period of stagnant plasma, by showing their temporal evolution and the spatial structures and discuss the underlying mechanisms by comparing with relevant theories.
DE: 2708 Current systems (2409)
DE: 2740 Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics
DE: 2744 Magnetotail
DE: 2764 Plasma sheet
DE: 2788 Storms and substorms
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting