Premium
Interchange and kink modes in the near‐Earth plasma sheet and their associated plasma flows
Author(s) -
Pritchett P. L.,
Coroniti F. V.
Publication year - 1997
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 - 10.1029/97gl02950
Subject(s) - plasma sheet , gyroradius , plasma , physics , convection , ion , atomic physics , geophysics , electron , pinch , field line , substorm , electric field , magnetic field , excited state , flux (metallurgy) , magnetosphere , mechanics , materials science , quantum mechanics , nuclear physics , metallurgy
Three‐dimensional (3‐D) particle simulations are used to investigate the response of the near‐Earth plasma sheet to the imposition of an external convection electric field for the case where magnetic flux is blocked from leaving the region. Under these conditions an interchange mode with characteristic wavelength of 1–2 R E (determined by the ion gyroradius) in the east‐west direction is excited before the plasma sheet is severed by the formation of a neutral line. The nonlinear growth of the interchange mode produces a strong (10–20 mV/m), localized ( ≲ 0.5 R E ) E y field which drives earthward flows of both electrons and ions. These flows pinch off regions of southward B z which eventually are expelled tailward in narrow fingers around the edges of the earthward flow bursts.