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Consequences of centrifugally-driven phase bunching in the near-earth magnetotailThe dynamics of the plasma sheet ions in the near-earth magnetotail where the Larmor radii are comparable to the magnetic field line curvature radius are examined. It is shown that enhanced centrifugal effects lead to the prominent bunching of the particles in the gyration phase. As a result of this bunching effect, it is demonstrated that a thin current sheet develops in the vicinity of the tail midplane. Using average values of the plasma density and temperature, the current sheet obtained has a characteristic thickness of the order of a few tenths of an earth radius, and leads to significant stretching of the local magnetic field lines. A further consequence of phase bunching is the build-up of a substantial current in the earth tail direction at low latitudes which leads to field line inclination in the dawn-dusk direction.
Document ID
19970016543
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Delcourt, D. C.
(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, France)
Belmont, G.
(Centre des Etudes Terrestraire et Planetaire Velizy, France)
Sauvaud, J.-A.
(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Toulouse, France)
Moore, T. E.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Martin, R. F., Jr.
(Illinois State Univ. Normal, IL United States)
Date Acquired
August 17, 2013
Publication Date
October 1, 1996
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
97N18984
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF INT-94-15614
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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