Premium
Temperature anisotropies in a magnetospheric FTE
Author(s) -
Smith M. F.,
Owen C. J.
Publication year - 1992
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 - 10.1029/92gl01618
Subject(s) - magnetosheath , anisotropy , physics , event (particle physics) , spacecraft , magnetosphere , geophysics , plasma , flux (metallurgy) , computational physics , magnetopause , astrophysics , atmospheric sciences , materials science , astronomy , optics , nuclear physics , metallurgy
We present AMPTE UKS data from a well‐studied magnetospheric flux transfer event, showing detailed ion phase‐space distributions for each region of this layered event. We show that the perpendicular temperature anisotropy maximizes at the center of the event. This is inconsistent with recent suggestions that FTE signatures may result from the spacecraft moving into and then out of the magnetosheath via the plasma depletion layer. We present an explanation for the temperature anisotropy structure in terms of a reconnection model.