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Earthward electric field in the magnetotail: Cluster observations and theoretical estimates
Author(s) -
Zelenyi L. M.,
Artemyev A. V.,
Petrukovich A. A.
Publication year - 2010
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 - 10.1029/2009gl042099
Subject(s) - physics , electric field , electron , diamagnetism , current sheet , atomic physics , curvature , cluster (spacecraft) , plasma sheet , magnetic field , drift velocity , electric current , geophysics , computational physics , magnetosphere , magnetohydrodynamics , quantum mechanics , geometry , mathematics , computer science , programming language
In this paper we present an experimental evidence of the existence of the earthward electric field in the thin current sheet of the Earth magnetotail. This field plays an essential role in the redistribution of observed intensities of cross‐tail proton and electron currents. We consider the statistics of 59 thin current sheet crossings observed by CLUSTER spacecraft. It is shown that the sum of electron diamagnetic and curvature drifts can explain less than a half of the value of electron bulk velocity. The remaining part of electron velocity is thus related to the E x × B z cross field drift. The measurements of the typically negative shift of the central part of proton velocity distribution also confirm the existence of positive E x field. Finally we suggest the mechanism of E x formation in the thin current sheet of the Earth magnetotail.