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Reconnection Hall current system observed in the magnetotail and in the ionosphere
Author(s) -
Snekvik K.,
Juusola L.,
Østgaard N.,
Amm O.
Publication year - 2009
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 - 10.1029/2009gl037239
Subject(s) - current sheet , ionosphere , physics , plasma sheet , geophysics , magnetometer , current (fluid) , magnetic reconnection , magnetosphere , magnetic field , substorm , computational physics , astrophysics , magnetohydrodynamics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
On 07 Sep 2001 around 21:40 UT, Cluster was located 19 R E downtail, and observed earthward fast flows and strong perturbations in the dawn‐dusk component of the magnetic field ( B Y ). The perturbations corresponded to a sheet of tailward field aligned current close to the neutral sheet and another sheet of earthward field aligned current closer to the lobe. At Cluster footpoint, the ionospheric equivalent current density was monitored by the IMAGE magnetometer network. The observed equivalent current pattern is found to be consistent with a longitudinally extended current out of the ionosphere at 67° magnetic latitude and another sheet into the ionosphere 10 km further north. These observations provide evidence that the Hall current system generated in the ion diffusion region of a tail reconnection X‐line, can close in the ionosphere.