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Convection and the formation of thin current sheets in the near‐Earth plasma sheet
Author(s) -
Pritchett P. L.,
Coroniti F. V.
Publication year - 1994
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 - 10.1029/94gl01364
Subject(s) - substorm , plasma sheet , convection , current sheet , current (fluid) , geophysics , plasma , diamagnetism , electron , magnetic field , physics , magnetohydrodynamics , mechanics , magnetosphere , nuclear physics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Particle simulations are used to investigate plasma sheet convection in a realistic near‐Earth magnetic field model including dipolelike and taillike regions. Convection leads to the formation of a thin current region characterized by a strong electrostatic potential and a depressed equatorial magnetic field component in which the cross tail current is carried predominantly by the electrons as a result of their E × B and diamagnetic drifts. Implications for the thin current sheets observed in the near‐Earth magnetotail during substorm growth phase are discussed.