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Response of the magnetotail to changes in the open flux content of the magnetosphere

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posted on 2009-12-08, 16:24 authored by Steve E. Milan, S. W. H. Cowley, M. Lester, D. M. Wright, J. A. Slavin, M. Fillingim, C.W. Carlson, H.J. Singer
We compare the open flux content of the magnetosphere, quantified by measurements of the size of the northern ionospheric polar cap, with the radius of the magnetotail at X ≈ −25 R{subscript E], deduced from observations made by the IMP-8 spacecraft. During an 8-hour period of observation we estimate that the proportion of terrestrial flux that is interconnected with the solar wind varies between 12 and 2.5%. This latter extreme, representing an almost closed magnetosphere, follows the incidence of a solar wind dynamic pressure step, the onset of a large substorm, and a 3-hour period of northward IMF. The deflated and compressed magnetotail is predicted to have a radius as small as 12 R[subscript E] at this time. The magnetotail does not reinflate to more typical dimensions until some time after a southward turning of the IMF, leading to accumulation of open flux through low latitude reconnection. We compare our observations with estimates of the shape of the magnetopause from an empirical model. We also present a simple model of the varying length of the magnetotail, based on upstream solar wind conditions, and observations of the size of the polar cap.

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Citation

Journal of Geophysical Research : Space Physics, 2004, 109 (A4), A04220

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Published in

Journal of Geophysical Research : Space Physics

Publisher

American Geophysical Union (AGU)

eissn

2169-9402

Copyright date

2004

Available date

2009-12-08

Publisher version

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2003JA010350/abstract

Language

en

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