Spatial gradients in the plasmasphere form Cluster

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Discipline
Physical sciences
Subject
Carrier concentration
Geometry
Magnetic fields
Plasma density
Plasma sources
Density distribution
Density gradients
Density structure
Plasmasphere
Spatial gradients
Earth atmosphere
electron density
geomagnetic field
plasma
Audience
Scientific
Date
2006Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
The Cluster mission allows the study of the plasmasphere with four-point measurements, including its overall density distribution, plasmaspheric plumes close to the plasmapause, and density irregularities inside the plasmasphere. The purpose of this letter is to examine the geometry and orientation of the overall density structure and of the magnetic field. We present a typical Cluster plasmasphere crossing for which we compute the four-point spatial gradient of the electron density and the magnetic field strength, and we compare the direction of both gradients with the local field vector. We discuss the role of the gradient components along and transverse to field lines; transverse density gradients, in particular, are found to suggest the presence of azimuthal density variations.
Citation
Darrouzet, F.; De Keyser, J.; Décréau, P.M.E.; Lemaire, J.F.; Dunlop, M.W. (2006). Spatial gradients in the plasmasphere form Cluster. , Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 33, Issue 8, L08105, DOI: 10.1029/2006GL025727.Identifiers
scopus: 2-s2.0-33745442292
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng