A detailed analysis of successive tailward flow bursts in the near-Earth magnetotail (X∼−19 R E) plasma sheet is performed on the basis of in-situ multi-point observations by the Cluster spacecraft on 15 September 2001. The tailward flows were detected during a northward IMF interval, 2.5 h after a substorm expansion. Each flow burst (Vx<300 km/s) was associated with local auroral activation. Enhancements of the parallel and anti-parallel ∼1 keV electron flux were detected during the flows. The spacecraft configuration enables to monitor the neutral sheet (Bx≈0) and the level of B x≈10–15 nT simultaneously, giving a possibility to distinguish between closed plasmoid-like structures and open NFTE-like surges. The data analysis shows NFTE-like structures and localized current filaments embedded into the tailward plasma flow. 3-D shapes of the structures were reconstructed using the four-point magnetic filed measurements and the particle data.
CITATION STYLE
Runov, A., Voronkov, I., Asano, Y., Baumjohann, W., Fujimoto, M., Nakamura, R., … Balogh, A. (2008). Structure of the near-Earth plasma sheet during tailward flows. Annales Geophysicae, 26(3), 709–724. https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-26-709-2008
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