HR: 17:35h
AN: SM14A-07    [Abstracts]
TI: Plasma jets and FTE Dayside Generation for Northward IMF on 8 June 2007: THEMIS Observations
AU: * Eriksson, S
EM: eriksson@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
AU: Cully, C M
EM: cully@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
AU: Ergun, R E
EM: ree@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
AU: Gosling, J T
EM: jack.gosling@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
AU: Angelopoulos, V
EM: vassilis@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, 7 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA 94720- 7450, United States
AU: Bonnell, J W
EM: jbonnell@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, 7 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA 94720- 7450, United States
AU: McFadden, J P
EM: mcfadden@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, 7 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA 94720- 7450, United States
AU: Glassmeier, K
EM: kh.glassmeier@tu-braunschweig.de
AF: Institut fur Geophysik und Extraterrestrische Physik, Technische Universitat, Mendelssohnstr. 3, Braunschweig, D-38106, Germany
AU: Roux, A
EM: alain.roux@cetp.ipsl.fr
AF: Centre d'étude des Environnements Terrestre et Planétaires, 10-12 Avenue de l'Europe, Velizy, 78140, France
AU: Auster, H
EM: uli.auster@tu-braunschweig.de
AF: Institut fur Geophysik und Extraterrestrische Physik, Technische Universitat, Mendelssohnstr. 3, Braunschweig, D-38106, Germany
AU: le Contel, O
EM: Olivier.LeContel@cetp.ipsl.fr
AF: Centre d'étude des Environnements Terrestre et Planétaires, 10-12 Avenue de l'Europe, Velizy, 78140, France
AB: Five-spacecraft THEMIS (TH) observations are presented for a 15.5 MLT equatorial magnetopause crossing on 8 June 2007 when the upstream IMF was predominantly northward with a negative IMF By component at Wind. During the 0650-0855 UT period on this day TH-B was the most tailward probe while TH-A was the most sunward probe. TH-E was closest to TH-A with a maximum separation of only 0.71 RE. The maximum TH-A to TH-B GSM separation was 1.85 RE. TH-B showed a clean magnetopause crossing into the magnetosphere as the magnetopause expanded over the probes while TH-A spent this 2-hour period within a boundary layer inside the magnetopause with frequent transitions between a magnetosheath-like and a magnetosphere-like plasma as previously seen by Cluster at high-latitudes for southward IMF [Wild et al., 2003]. TH-E observed similar activity for a shorter period of time. Many of the sheath-like transitions showed evidence of plasma jets at TH-A with enhanced speed in the tailward and/or duskward direction suggesting a subsolar component merging region. Some jets were related to frequent bipolar FTE signatures in the normal BN component with enhanced total pressure observed at their centers. The more common ±BN sequence suggests that TH-A observed tailward propagating FTEs on the sheath side of the magnetopause. We compare TH-E ExB velocities with the enhanced jet velocities observed by TH-A and discuss whether the jets observed within this boundary layer were caused by subsolar magnetopause reconnection. We also compare these low-latitude northward IMF observations with prior Cluster FTE observations at high-latitude for southward IMF.
DE: 2723 Magnetic reconnection (7526, 7835)
DE: 2724 Magnetopause and boundary layers
DE: 2740 Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting