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Published June 1982 | Published
Journal Article Open

Plasma behavior during energetic electron streaming events: Further evidence for substorm-associated magnetic reconnection

Abstract

A recent study showed that streaming energetic (〉200 keV) electrons in Earth's magnetotail are statistically associated with southward magnetic fields and with enhancements of the AE index. It is shown here that the streaming electrons characteristically are preceded by a ∼15 minute period of tailward plasma flow and followed by a dropout of the plasma sheet, thus demonstrating a clear statistical association between substorms and the classical signatures of magnetic reconnection and plasmoid formation. Additionally, a brief upward surge of mean electron energy preceded plasma dropout in several of the events studied, providing direct evidence of localized, reconnection-associated heating processes.

Additional Information

© 1982 by the American Geophysical Union. Manuscript Accepted: 20 Apr 1982. Manuscript Received: 5 Apr 1982. We thank R. P. Lapping and N. F. Ness for providing 15-seconds averages of IMP-8 magnetometer data. This work was supported in part by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under contracts NAS5-11066 and NAS5-25789 and grant NGR 05-002-160.

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Created:
August 19, 2023
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