Isolated cold plasma regions - Observations and their relation to possible production mechanisms

Regions of enhanced cold plasma, isolated from the main plasmasphere along the Explorer 45 (53-A) orbit in the equatorial plane, have been detected by using the sheath-induced potentials seen by the electric field experiment. The occurrence of these regions has a strong correlation with negative enhancements of Dst, and their locations are primarily in the noon-dusk quadrant. The data support the concept that changes in large-scale convection play a dominant role in the formation of these regions. Plasma tails that are predicted from enhancements of large-scale convection electric fields in general define where these regions may be found. More localized processes are necessary to account for the exact configuration and structure seen in these regions and may eventually result in detachment from the main plasmasphere.