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On tenuous plasmas, fireballs, and boundary layers in the earth's magnetotailThe plasma instrumentation (the Lepedea) and the magnetometer aboard IMP 8 performed correlative measurements of magnetic fields and plasmas within the geomagnetic tail at geocentric radial distances of about 23-46 R-E during March-October 1974. The hot tenuous plasmas within the plasma sheet were found to be in a state of almost continuous flow and were threaded with northward, or closed geomagnetic lines. The satellite encountered a region of acceleration in the magnetotail, the 'fireball' which exhibits strong jetting of plasmas in excess of 1000 km/s, proton temperatures of about 10 to the 7th K, disordered magnetic fields, southward magnetic fields during tailward jetting of plasmas, and northward magnetic fields for fast plasma flows toward earth. In addition, the magnetosheath plasmas within the boundary layers which are contiguous to the plasma sheet display evidence of plasma heating, great changes in bulk flow velocities, and acceleration of energetic electrons with an energy of greater than 45 keV.
Document ID
19770034011
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Frank, L. A.
(Iowa Univ. Iowa City, IA, United States)
Ackerson, K. L.
(Iowa, University Iowa City, Iowa, United States)
Lepping, R. P.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Space Plasma Physics Branch, Greenbelt, Md., United States)
Date Acquired
August 9, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1976
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 81
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
77A16863
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGL-16-001-002
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS5-11064
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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