HR: 09:30h
AN: SM41A-07    [Abstracts]
TI: The time-scale for the formation of the cold-dense plasma sheet: A case study
AU: Meng, C
EM: ching.meng@jhuapl.edu
AF: the Jons Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723-6099, United States
AU: * Wing, S
EM: simon.wing@jhuapl.edu
AF: the Jons Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723-6099, United States
AU: Johnson, J R
EM: jrj@pppl.gov
AF: Princeton University, POB 451 MS 28 , Princeton, NJ 08543-0000, United States
AU: Fujimoto, M
EM: fujimoto@stp.isas.jaxa.jp
AF: ISAS/JAXA, Space Plasma Dvision 3-1-1 Yoshinodai , Kanagawa, 229-8510, Japan
AB: The formation of cold-dense plasma sheet ions during northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) was investigated with DMSP and in situ satellite observations. The connection between solar wind ions and plasma sheet cold-component ions is demonstrated. The hot-component ions, which are typically found during southward IMF, are also present during northward IMF. The densification of the plasma sheet can be attributed to the influx of the cold-component (magnetosheath/solar wind origin) ions. The cooling of the plasma sheet can be attributed not only to the influx of the solar wind ions, but also the cooling of the hot-components. In the immediate aftermath of the IMF northward turning, the cooling of the hot components can play a more significant role before the arrival of the bulk of the cold components. Order of magnitude calculations of plasma sheet filling rate from reconnection and diffusion suggest that both entry mechanisms could result in roughly comparable filling rates. Hence, the dawn-dusk asymmetries would be key in distinguishing the roles of the various proposed entry mechanisms. The specific entropy of the northward IMF plasma sheet is discussed.
DE: 2736 Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions (2431)
DE: 2744 Magnetotail
DE: 2748 Magnetotail boundary layers
DE: 2764 Plasma sheet
DE: 2784 Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly