Abstract The direction and magnitude of the anisotropy of energetic ions (35–56 keV) have been measured in the plasma sheet during the passage of ISEE-3 through the geomagnetic tail, and sorted according to distance from the earth. The maximum distance is 235 earth radii (Re). It is found that at distances less than 100 Re, tailward flow occurs slightly more often then earthward flow. Between 100–150 Re, tailward flow occurs 80% of the time; beyond 150 Re, it occurs in 95% of the samples. Beyond 100 Re, mean tailward flow speeds are between 400 and 600 km/s, exceeding the mean earthward speeds of 100–200 km/s. These observations support the plasmoid model of magnetotail dynamics, and indicate that the X-line in the magnetotail is normally within 100 Re of the earth.
Distribution of energetic (E > 35 keV) ion anisotropies in the distant geomagnetic tail
Advances in Space Research ; 4 , 2-3 ; 475-478
1984-01-01
4 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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