HR: 09:30h
AN: SM51C-07    [Abstracts]
TI: Geotail Observations of Flux Transfer Events
AU: * Korotova, G
EM: korotova@excite.com
AU: Sibeck, D
EM: david.Sibeck@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA/GSFC, 8800 Greenbelt road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, United States
AU: Rosenberg, T
EM: TJrosenb@umd.edu
AF: University of Maryland, IPST Computer and Space Science Bldg, College Park, MD 20742, United States
AB: We present the results of a statistical study of 500 flux transfer events (FTEs) observed by the Geotail spacecraft. We study the motion of events within the magnetosheath that move faster or slower relative to the magnetosheath flow itself and the signatures that they produce in plasma parameters. Event boundaries can be distinguished by sharp reversals in flow directions. We made plots of velocity distribution function for FTEs observed in the sheath and sphere to determine direction of event motion in dependence on sense of polarity of Bn component of FTEs. We determine the region where events originate and their mode of event generation as a function of solar wind conditions. We determine whether events originate along a tilted subsolar merging line during periods of southward IMF orientation, but at high-latitudes during periods of northward IMF orientation. We test the solar wind conditions to determine whether events generated by solar wind/foreshock pressure pulses move across the magnetopause in a direction determined by the orientation of solar wind discontinuities striking the magnetosphere.
DE: 2723 Magnetic reconnection (7526, 7835)
DE: 2724 Magnetopause and boundary layers
DE: 2784 Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly