Magnetospheric line radiation event observed simultaneously on board Cluster 1, Cluster 2 and DEMETER spacecraft

F Němec (1) , O Santolík (2, 1) , Michel Parrot (3) , J.S. Pickett (4)

1 Faculty of Mathematics and Physics [Praha/Prague]
2 IAP - Institute of Atmospheric Physics [Prague]
3 LPC2E - Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace
4 Department of Physics and Astronomy [Ames, Iowa]

[1] We present a case study of a magnetospheric line radiation (MLR) event observed simultaneously by Cluster 1 and Cluster 2 during a perigee passage at a radial distance of about 4 R E and, at the same time, by the low-orbiting DEMETER satellite. This unique constellation enables us to analyze spatiotemporal variability of the phenomenon. Although the Cluster spacecraft are separated by as much as 0.7 L-shells, the observed wave pattern is the same on both. The analysis of B to E ratios indicates a quasiparallel propagation, which suggests that the waves cross the geo-magnetic equator over a significant range of L-shells, at least 3.9–4.6. Simultaneous observations by the DEMETER satellite separated by about 1.8 hours in MLT from the Cluster spacecraft indicate a significant azimuthal extent of the source. The obtained results show that during the MLR event the same wave pattern is observed over a significant portion of the inner magnetosphere. Citation: Němec, F., O. Santolík, M. Parrot, and J. S. Pickett (2012), Magnetospheric line radiation event observed simultaneously on board Cluster 1, Cluster 2 and DEMETER spacecraft, Geophys.

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]

F Němec, O Santolík, Michel Parrot, J.S. Pickett. Magnetospheric line radiation event observed simultaneously on board Cluster 1, Cluster 2 and DEMETER spacecraft. Geophysical Research Letters, 2012, 39, L18103 (5 p.). ⟨10.1029/2012GL053132⟩. ⟨insu-01179811⟩