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The role of ionospheric O + outflow in the generation of earthward propagating plasmoids
Author(s) -
Zhang B.,
Brambles O. J.,
Lotko W.,
Ouellette J. E.,
Lyon J. G.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2015ja021667
Subject(s) - plasmoid , substorm , outflow , physics , ionosphere , geophysics , magnetosphere , magnetic reconnection , earth's magnetic field , astrophysics , computational physics , magnetic field , plasma , meteorology , nuclear physics , quantum mechanics
Earthward propagating plasmoids in the Earth's magnetotail have been observed by satellites. Using a multifluid global magnetosphere simulation, earthward propagating plasmoids are reproduced when ionospheric O + outflow is included in the global simulation. Controlled simulations show that without ionospheric outflow, the plasmoids generated in the magnetotail during a substorm‐steady magnetospheric convection cycle only propagate tailward. With ionospheric outflow, earthward plasmoids can be induced through the modification of magnetotail reconnection at multiple X lines. When multiple X lines form in the magnetotail, plasmoids may be trapped between multiple reconnection sites. When magnetic reconnection rate is reduced at the near‐Earth X line by the presence of ionospheric O + , the earthward exhaust flow of reconnection occurring at the midtail X line forces the plasmoid to propagate earthward. The propagation speed and spatial size of the simulated earthward plasmoid are consistent with observations from the Cluster satellites.