observations
Abstract. We present EISCAT Svalbard Radar and DMSP observations of a double cusp during an interval of predom-inantly northward IMF on 26 November 2000. In the cusp region, the ESR dish, pointing northward, recorded sun-ward ionospheric flow at high latitudes (above 82 ◦ GL), in-dicating reconnecti...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2001
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.592.6489 http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/32/92/73/PDF/angeo-20-1311-2002.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract. We present EISCAT Svalbard Radar and DMSP observations of a double cusp during an interval of predom-inantly northward IMF on 26 November 2000. In the cusp region, the ESR dish, pointing northward, recorded sun-ward ionospheric flow at high latitudes (above 82 ◦ GL), in-dicating reconnection occuring in the magnetospheric lobe. Meanwhile, the same dish also recorded bursts of poleward flow, indicative of bursty reconnection at the subsolar mag-netopause. Within this time interval, the DMSP F13 satel-lite passed in the close vicinity of the Svalbard archipelago. The particle measurement on board exhibited a double cusp structure in which two oppositely oriented ion dispersions are recorded. We interpret this set of data in terms of si-multaneous merging at low- and high-latitude magnetopause. We discuss the conditions for which such simultaneous high-latitude and low-latitude reconnection can be anticipated. We also discuss the consequences of the presence of two X-lines in the dayside polar ionosphere. Key words. Magnetospheric physics (solar wind-magneto-sphere interactions) – Ionosphere (polar ionosphere; plasma convection) 1 |
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