DOI

  • A. Varsani
  • R. Nakamura
  • W. Baumjohann
  • C. J. Owen
  • A. A. Petrukovich
  • Z. Yao
  • T. K.M. Nakamura
  • T. Sotireli
  • J. L. Burch
  • K. J. Genestreti
  • Z. Vörös
  • M. Andriopoulou
  • D. J. Gershman
  • L. A. Avanov
  • W. Magnes
  • C. T. Russell
  • F. Plaschke
  • Y. V. Khotyaintsev
  • B. L. Giles
  • V. N. Coffey
  • J. C. Dorelli
  • R. J. Strangeway
  • R. B. Torbert
  • P. A. Lindqvist
  • R. Ergun

During a magnetic storm on 23 June 2015, several very intense substorms took place, with signatures observed by multiple spacecraft including DMSP and Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS). At the time of interest, DMSP F18 crossed inbound through a poleward expanding auroral bulge boundary at 23.5 h magnetic local time (MLT), while MMS was located duskward of 22 h MLT during an inward crossing of the expanding plasma sheet boundary. The two spacecraft observed a consistent set of signatures as they simultaneously crossed the reconnection separatrix layer during this very intense reconnection event. These include (1) energy dispersion of the energetic ions and electrons traveling earthward, accompanied with high electron energies in the vicinity of the separatrix; (2) energy dispersion of polar rain electrons, with a high-energy cutoff; and (3) intense inward convection of the magnetic field lines at the MMS location. The high temporal resolution measurements by MMS provide unprecedented observations of the outermost electron boundary layer. We discuss the relevance of the energy dispersion of the electrons, and their pitch angle distribution, to the spatial and temporal evolution of the boundary layer. The results indicate that the underlying magnetotail magnetic reconnection process was an intrinsically impulsive and the active X-line was located relatively close to the Earth, approximately at 16-18 RE.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)10891-10909
Number of pages19
JournalJOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS
Volume122
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - 3 Nov 2017

    Scopus subject areas

  • Geophysics
  • Oceanography
  • Forestry
  • Aquatic Science
  • Ecology
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Soil Science
  • Geochemistry and Petrology
  • Earth-Surface Processes
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Space and Planetary Science
  • Materials Chemistry
  • Paleontology

    Research areas

  • Magnetic reconnection, Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, Plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL)

ID: 11293767