HR: 11:15h
AN: SM22A-04    [Abstracts]
TI: The dependence of flux transfer events on solar wind conditions from three years of Cluster observations
AU: * Wang, Y
EM: ywang@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1667, MS D466, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AU: Elphic, R C
EM: relphic@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1667, MS D466, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AU: Lavraud, B
EM: lavraud@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1667, MS D466, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AU: Birn, J
EM: jbirn@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1667, MS D466, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AU: Taylor, M G
EM: mggt@mssl.ucl.ac.uk
AF: Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT United Kingdom
AU: Thomsen, M F
EM: mthomsen@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1667, MS D466, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AU: Russell, C T
EM: ctrussel@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: University of California, Los Angeles, IGPP/UCLA 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567 United States
AU: Kawano, H
EM: hkawano@geo.kyushu-u.ac.jp
AF: Kyushu University, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, 812-8581 Japan
AU: Raeder, J
EM: j.raeder@unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, Space Science Center 245G Morse Hall 39 College Road, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AB: In this study, we investigate the dependence of Cluster high-latitude and low-latitude magnetopause flank flux transfer events (FTEs) on some important parameters of solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Based on 1222 Cluster FTEs that we identified between February 2001 and June 2003, we find a strong dependence of Cluster FTEs on IMF Bxgsm. For positive (negative) IMF Bxgsm, there are more FTEs in the northern (southern) hemisphere. There is a strong dependence of the observed Cluster FTEs on IMF Bygsm. We believe that an unexpected strong correlation between FTE corresponding IMF Bygsm and IMF Bxgsm, i.e., spiral IMF, is responsible for such a strong dependence. There are two peaks for the Cluster FTE occurrence on IMF Bzgsm with a minimum at ~3 nT and two peaks at ~-3 nT and ~9nT. There is a strong correlation between Cluster FTE occurrence rate and IMF tilt and clock angles with a strong FTE presence for northward dawnward IMF for IMF clock angle, and northward and sunward for IMF tilt angle. This is significantly different from the former results and it is likely caused by the high-latitude FTE dependence on IMF Bxgsm, the special correlation between Cluster FTE IMF Bygsm and IMF Bxgsm, and the special Cluster data collation rate. Solar wind density, speed, dynamic pressure, and Alfven Mach number are found to have different degree of control for the FTE occurrence. FTE separation time is found to be controlled strongly by IMF Bzgsm, and IMF clock and tilt angles. There is some weaker control of FTE separation time by solar wind density and Alfven Mach number, while there is no obvious control for solar wind speed and dynamic pressure. Finally, ~50% of the FTEs correspond to IMF north-south fluctuations in the 10-minute interval proceeding each FTE.
DE: 2724 Magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers
DE: 2740 Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics
DE: 2784 Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly