Sources of Cold Dense Plasma Sheet:A Multi-Satellite, Multipoint Case Study

M. G. Taylor (1) , B. Lavraud (2) , M. F. Thomsen (2) , A. N. Fazakerley (3) , M.W. Dunlop (4, 5) , J. A. Davies (4) , H. Frey (6) , R. H. Friedel (2) , P. Escoubet (1) , H. Laakso (1) , Y. Bogdanova (3) , C. Carr (5) , H. Khan (3) , E. A. Lucek (5) , Arnaud Masson (1) , S. Milan (7) , K. Nykyri (5) , H. Opgenoorth (1) , C. J. Owen (3) , Frederic Pitout (8) , Z. Pu (9) , H. Reme (10) , C. T. Russell (11) , J. D. Scudder (12) , Chao Shen (13) , B. Sonnerup (14) , Tiantian Zhang (15) , Q. Zong (16)

1 SCI-SH
2 Space Science and Applications
3 MSSL - Mullard Space Science Laboratory
4 RAL Space - Space Science and Technology Department [Didcot]
5 Blackett Laboratory
6 SSL - Space Sciences Laboratory [Berkeley]
7 Department of Physics and Astronomy [Leicester]
8 MPE - Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik
9 School of Earth and Space Sciences
10 CESR - Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements
11 IGPP - Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics [Los Angeles]
12 Department of Physics and Astronomy [Iowa City]
13 CSSAR - Center for Space Science and Applied Research [Beijing]
14 Thayer School of Engineering
15 IWF - Space Research Institute of Austrian Academy of Sciences
16 CSP - Center for Space Physics [Boston]

During conditions of northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), the near tail plasma sheet is known to become denser and cooler, and is described as the cold dense plasma sheet (CDPS). The source of this plasma is of great interest, in particular, whether it is transferred to the magnetosphere via poleward-of-cusp, lobe reconnection or via mechanisms at the flank magnetopause. This paper addresses this question via a case study of data from the 5th December 2004, utilizing a wide variety of spacecraft observations, including ACE, Cluster, Double Star (TC-1 and TC-2), Polar, LANL GEO and IMAGE. Conjunctions between various sub-sets of this multi-spacecraft constellation enable a multi point investigation of magnetospheric dynamics related to CDPS formation, including: The global reaction of the magnetosphere to the impact of a coronal mass ejection (CME) related shock (Cluster, LANL GEO etc); Observations of boundary layer waves at the flank magnetopause (TC-1) along with non-wave like boundary layers (Polar); High -latitude observations of the CDPS in the northern (TC-2) and southern (Polar) hemisphere; Evidence of high-latitude, poleward-of-cusp reconnection (IMAGE, Polar). The pertinent aspects of this study suggest that although there is evidence of large-scale flank boundary waves and possible plasma-transfer, poleward-of-cusp reconnection appears to produce sufficient CDPS like material.

M. G. Taylor, B. Lavraud, M. F. Thomsen, A. N. Fazakerley, M.W. Dunlop, et al.. Sources of Cold Dense Plasma Sheet:A Multi-Satellite, Multipoint Case Study. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2005, 2005, San Francisco, United States. ⟨insu-00356783⟩