The Dynamics Explorer satellites have returned a large body of data containing high resolution magnetometer measurements and distributions of charged particles of all but thermal electrons. From these data the relations of the field aligned currents to particle precipitation structures were investigated and the charge carriers were identified. Results include the following: (1) during very quiet periods, field aligned currents exist primarily as fine structure; (2) during onset of substorms, region 1 and region 2 become clearly evident but contain significant structure; (3) as magnetic activity subsides, current regions become less distinct, and structure becomes more dominant; (4) the distribution of the upward currents derived from magnetometer data and calculated from suprathermal electron data agree remarkably well in shape but not necessarily in magnitude; (5) at all local times, 5 eV electrons seldom carry most of the upward current; (6) except for the accelerated inverted-V electrons, the dominant upward current carriers which are masured are below 500 eV and are distributed in energy; (7) dusk upward currents (region 1) are associated with the boundary plasma sheet; and (8) suprathermal electron bursts are important current carrying structures.
Current carriers for the field-aligned current system
Advances in Space Research ; 5 , 4, 19
01.01.1985
Sonstige
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Current carriers for the field-aligned current system
Elsevier | 1985
|Field aligned current observed by Cluster
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2006
|Multisatellite observations of field-aligned current systems
Elsevier | 1989
|Field-Aligned Currents from Asymmetric Ring Current During Substorms
Online Contents | 1996
|Field-Aligned Currents from Asymmetric Ring Current During Substorms
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1995
|