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How typical are atypical current sheets?
Author(s) -
Asano Y.,
Nakamura R.,
Baumjohann W.,
Runov A.,
Vörös Z.,
Volwerk M.,
Zhang T. L.,
Balogh A.,
Klecker B.,
Rème H.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2004gl021834
Subject(s) - current (fluid) , current sheet , current density , plasma sheet , maxima , ring current , heliospheric current sheet , physics , geology , magnetic field , geophysics , computational physics , magnetosphere , magnetohydrodynamics , interplanetary magnetic field , solar wind , oceanography , art , quantum mechanics , performance art , art history
Using multi‐satellite Cluster magnetic field data, we statistically examined how often an atypical, i.e., non‐Harris type, current sheet is formed. We found that a cross‐tail current sheet with an off‐equatorial current density maximum, indicating bifurcation, is frequently formed in thin current sheets with a half thickness of ∼1500 km. The occurrence of off‐equatorial current density maxima is correlated with the occurrence of fast plasma flows, namely if fast plasma flows occur nearby, one is more likely to observe off‐equatorial current density maxima. We also found that many of the center‐peaked current sheets exhibit a feature different from a normal Harris sheet: namely a very intense current concentrated near the equatorial plane, embedded in a broader current sheet with lower current density.