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Flux Transfer Events Simultaneously Observed by Polar and Cluster: Flux Rope in the Subsolar Region and Flux Tube Addition to the Polar CuspThe phenomenon called flux transfer events (FTEs) is widely accepted as the manifestation of time-dependent reconnection. In this paper, we present observational evidence of a flux transfer event observed simultaneously at low-latitude by Polar and at high-latitude by Cluster. This event occurs on March 21, 2002, when both Cluster and Polar are located near local noon but with a large latitudinal separation. During the event, Cluster is moving outbound from the polar cusp to the magnetosheath, and Polar is in the magnetosheath near the equatorial magnetopause. The observations show that a flux transfer event occurs between the equator and the northern cusp. Polar and Cluster observe the FTE s two open flux tubes: Polar encounters the southward moving flux tube near the equator; and Cluster the northward moving flux tube at high latitude. The low latitude FTE appears to be a flux rope with helical magnetic field lines as it has a strong core field and the magnetic field component in the boundary normal direction exhibits a strong bi-polar variation. Unlike the low-latitude FTE, the high-latitude FTE observed by Cluster does not exhibit the characteristic bi-polar perturbation in the magnetic field. But the plasma data clearly reveal its open flux tube configuration. It shows that the magnetic field lines have straightened inside the FTE and become more aligned to the neighboring flux tubes as it moves to the cusp. Enhanced electrostatic fluctuations have been observed within the FTE core, both at low- and high-latitudes. This event provides a unique opportunity to understand high-latitude FTE signatures and the nature of time-varying reconnection.
Document ID
20070034737
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Le, G.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Zheng, Y.
(Johns Hopkins Univ. Laurel, MD, United States)
Russell, C. T.
(California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Pfaff, R. F.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Lin, N.
(California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Slavin, J. A.
(California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Parks, G.
(California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Wilber, M.
(California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Petrinec, S. M.
(Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center Palo Alto, CA, United States)
Lucek, E. A.
(Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. London, United Kingdom)
Reme, H.
(Centre d'Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements Toulouse, France)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2007
Subject Category
Geophysics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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