Plasma and magnetic field data from the International Sun Earth Explorer (ISEE) 2 spacecraft recorded on 29 Oct 1979 provide evidence for a slow shock (SS) in the reconnection layer of the dayside magnetopause. This layer is bounded on the magnetosheath side by the SS and on the magnetospheric side by a rotational discontinuity (RD). The direction of the accelerated plasma flow, the earthward sense of the normal magnetic field across both discontinuities, and the relative orientation of the SS and the RD all indicate that the reconnection site was located south of the spacecraft. Examination of the substantial pressure anisotropy downstream of the SS explains two unusual properties of the shock: (1) the slow-mode and intermediate-mode phase speeds are inverted downstream of the SS such that the RD propagates behind the SS rather than ahead of it; (2) the magnetic wave polarization reserves such that the SS initially displays a left-handed polarization and then switches to a right-handed polarization inside the shock structure.


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    Titel :

    Observation of a slow-mode shock in the dayside magnetopause reconnection layer


    Beteiligte:

    Erschienen in:

    Erscheinungsdatum :

    01.01.1995



    Medientyp :

    Sonstige


    Format :

    Keine Angabe


    Sprache :

    Englisch


    Schlagwörter :



    Observation of a Slow-Mode Shock in the Dayside Magnetopause Reconnection Layer

    Walthour, D. W. / Sonnerup, B. U. O. / Russell, C. T. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1995



    GEOTAIL Observation at the Dayside Magnetopause-Confirmation of Reconnection Events

    Nakamura, M. / Fujimoto, M. / Kawano, H. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1997


    Magnetic field reconnection at the dayside magnetopause

    Rijnbeek, R. P. | British Library Online Contents | 1992