DOI

  • V. Sergeev
  • A. Runov
  • W. Baumjohann
  • R. Nakamura
  • T. L. Zhang
  • M. Volwerk
  • A. Balogh
  • H. Rème
  • J. A. Sauvaud
  • M. André
  • B. Klecker

Fast vertical flapping oscillations of the plasma sheet have been observed by Cluster on September 26, 2001. The flapping motion had vertical speeds exceeding 100 km/s, an amplitude in excess of 1 RE and a quasiperiod of ∼ 3 min. The current sheet was mostly tilted in the Y-Z plane (with the tilt sometimes exceeding 45°). The waves had the properties of a kink mode and propagated toward the dusk flank. The flapping allowed to probe the vertical structure of the plasma sheet. Three different methods gave consistent evidence of a bifurcated structure of the cross-tail current with about half of all current concentrated in two sheets (each ∼ 500-1000 km thick). The current density peaks at |Bx| ∼ 0.5 BL, with a pronounced current density minimum and a plasma density plateau between these peaks.

Original languageEnglish
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume30
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Mar 2003

    Scopus subject areas

  • Geophysics
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)

ID: 36931082