HR: 1330h
AN: SM23A-03    [Abstracts]
TI: Structure of Cusp Diamagnetic Cavities
AU: * Niehof, J
EM: jniehof@bu.edu
AF: Boston University Center for Space Physics, 725 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215 United States
AU: Fritz, T
EM: fritz@bu.edu
AF: Boston University Center for Space Physics, 725 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215 United States
AU: Friedel, R
EM: rfriedel@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AU: Chen, J
EM: jschen@bu.edu
AF: Boston University Center for Space Physics, 725 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215 United States
AB: While in the cusp region, POLAR regularly observes large (up to 6 RE) cavities characterized by depressed magnetic field and increased plasma pressure. The frequent occurance and apparent stability of these structures implies a pressure balance between the plasma inside and the field outside. We investigate this balance, using pressures derived from the HYDRA and MFE instruments and composition information from CAMMICE MICS, for multiple crossings of the cusp. Our results suggest that small-scale physics drives the structure of these regions.
DE: 2724 Magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly