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Solar wind pressure pulse‐driven magnetospheric vortices and their global consequences
Author(s) -
Shi Q. Q.,
Hartinger M.D.,
Angelopoulos V.,
Tian A.M.,
Fu S.Y.,
Zong Q.G.,
Weygand J. M.,
Raeder J.,
Pu Z.Y.,
Zhou X.Z.,
Dunlop M.W.,
Liu W.L.,
Zhang H.,
Yao Z.H.,
Shen X.C.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2013ja019551
Subject(s) - vortex , physics , magnetometer , magnetohydrodynamics , geophysics , ionosphere , solar wind , plasma , magnetic field , mechanics , quantum mechanics
We report the in situ observation of a plasma vortex induced by a solar wind dynamic pressure enhancement in the nightside plasma sheet using multipoint measurements from Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) satellites. The vortex has a scale of 5–10 Re and propagates several Re downtail, expanding while propagating. The features of the vortex are consistent with the prediction of the Sibeck (1990) model, and the vortex can penetrate deep (~8 Re ) in the dawn‐dusk direction and couple to field line oscillations. Global magnetohydrodynamics simulations are carried out, and it is found that the simulation and observations are consistent with each other. Data from THEMIS ground magnetometer stations indicate a poleward propagating vortex in the ionosphere, with a rotational sense consistent with the existence of the vortex observed in the magnetotail.