Dataset Information

Neutral Atom Imaging of the Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Exosphere Interaction Near the Subsolar Magnetopause.

ABSTRACT: Energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) created by charge-exchange of ions with the Earth's hydrogen exosphere near the subsolar magnetopause yield information on the distribution of plasma in the outer magnetosphere and magnetosheath. ENA observations from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) are used to image magnetosheath plasma and, for the first time, low-energy magnetospheric plasma near the magnetopause. These images show that magnetosheath plasma is distributed fairly evenly near the subsolar magnetopause; however, low-energy magnetospheric plasma is not distributed evenly in the outer magnetosphere. Simultaneous images and in situ observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft from November 2015 (during the solar cycle declining phase) are used to derive the exospheric density. The ~11-17 cm^-3 density at 10 R_E is similar to that obtained previously for solar minimum. Thus, these combined results indicate that the exospheric density 10 R_E from the Earth may have a weak dependence on solar cycle.

SUBMITTER: Fuselier SA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7757190 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Neutral Atom Imaging of the Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Exosphere Interaction Near the Subsolar Magnetopause.

Fuselier S A SA Dayeh M A MA Galli A A Funsten H O HO Schwadron N A NA Petrinec S M SM Trattner K J KJ McComas D J DJ Burch J L JL Toledo-Redondo S S Szalay J R JR Strangeway R J RJ

Geophysical research letters 20201005 19

Energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) created by charge-exchange of ions with the Earth's hydrogen exosphere near the subsolar magnetopause yield information on the distribution of plasma in the outer magnetosphere and magnetosheath. ENA observations from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) are used to image magnetosheath plasma and, for the first time, low-energy magnetospheric plasma near the magnetopause. These images show that magnetosheath plasma is distributed fairly evenly near the subsola ...[more]

PMID: 33380756

Similar Datasets

Project description:Abstract Here, we extend the scope of the Gamayunov and Engebretson (2021, hereinafter Paper 1), https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JA029247 work by analyzing the low frequency ultra‐low‐frequency (ULF) wave power spectra in the Earth's inner magnetosphere during high speed stream (HSS) and quiet solar wind (QSW) driving conditions in the upstream solar wind (SW) and comparing our results to the results of Paper 1, where the statistics of ULF wave power spectra during coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are presented. The most important results of our statistical and comparative analyses are as follows. (a) During CMEs, HSSs, and QSW, the magnetic field power spectra of the transverse and compressional fluctuations are well approximated by power laws in the ∼mHz–Hz frequency range, where on average the parameters of power law fits during CMEs and HSSs are close, and those during QSW differ considerably from the respective parameters during CMEs and HSSs. (b) The dominance of the average compressional power over the average transverse power for the low frequency ULF waves during the 0 < SYM/H ≲ 25 nT geomagnetic conditions may serve as a proxy of HSSs in the upstream SW, whereas the opposite relation between the average powers is an indication of CMEs. (c) Independently of the SW driving conditions, a turbulent energy cascade from low frequencies in the ULF wave frequency range into the higher frequency range exists in the Earth's inner magnetosphere, supplying the nonthermal electromagnetic seed fluctuations needed for the growth of electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves (∼Hz) due to relaxation of unstable distributions of energetic magnetospheric ions. Key Points Statistics of low frequency ultra‐low‐frequency wave power spectra during high speed streams and quiet solar wind are presented and compared to the statistics of the coronal mass ejection driven events A turbulent energy cascade in the Earth's inner magnetosphere exists independently of the solar wind driving conditions A turbulent energy cascade supplies seed fluctuations needed for electromagnetic ion cyclotron wave growth due to instabilities of the energetic magnetospheric ions

Dataset Information

Neutral Atom Imaging of the Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Exosphere Interaction Near the Subsolar Magnetopause.

Publications

Neutral Atom Imaging of the Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Exosphere Interaction Near the Subsolar Magnetopause.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets