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Comment on “Electric field evidence on the viscous interaction at the magnetopause”, by F. S. Mozer
Author(s) -
Heikkila Walter J.
Publication year - 1986
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/gl013i003p00233
Subject(s) - magnetopause , geophysics , electric field , physics , boundary layer , polarization (electrochemistry) , plasma , polar , plasma sheet , magnetosphere , field line , magnetic field , low latitude , atmospheric sciences , computational physics , ionosphere , mechanics , astronomy , chemistry , quantum mechanics
Mozer [1984] has published some ISEE‐1 data on the electric field in the magnetospheric equatorial plane which show a polarization of the low latitude boundary layer, consistent with tailward plasma flow. A reinterpretation of these data suggests that the potential difference may be typically 30 kV for the combined dawn and dusk layers, out of a total of 50‐60 kV across the polar cap. Therefore, the LLBL is at least as important as the competing process of magnetic reconnection.