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Observational determination of the adiabatic index in the quiet time plasma sheet
Author(s) -
Huang C. Y.,
Goertz C. K.,
Frank L. A.,
Rostoker G.
Publication year - 1989
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/gl016i006p00563
Subject(s) - adiabatic process , plasma sheet , plasma , quiet , physics , index (typography) , computational physics , astrophysics , geophysics , astronomy , thermodynamics , nuclear physics , magnetosphere , world wide web , computer science
We show that in the quiet time (AE<100nT) central plasma sheet the plasma density and temperature are, in general, anticorrelated. This indicates that the adiabatic index is less than 1 and that earthward converting plasma cools as it is compressed. We do not have a satisfactory explanation for this surprising result.