Recent Cluster Results on Cusp and Magnetopause Boundary Phenomena

• Main Authors: Dunlop, M.W., Bogdanova, Y., Escoubet, P., Fazakerley, A. N., Lavraud, B., Taylor, M. G., Pitout, Frederic, Pu, Z., Shen, Chao
• Other Authors: Space Science and Technology Department Didcot (RAL Space), STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)-Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL), University College of London London (UCL), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA), Space and Atmospheric Sciences Group Los Alamos, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Laboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble (LPG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University Beijing, Center for Space Science and Applied Research Beijing (CSSAR), Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing (CAS)
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2007
• Subjects: Antarctic; Svalbard; The Antarctic; Zhongshan; Antarc*; EISCAT
• Online Access: https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00359716

abstract SM21C-01 INVITED International audience The combined data sets of Cluster and Double Star have provided extensive, multi-scale coverage of the Earth's magnetosphere. Since 2001 the Cluster orbit has preferentially sampled the high and mid altitude cusp regions during the spring seasons, and crossed both the high and low latitude, dayside magnetopause at other times. We present an overview of the most recent Cluster research on both the dayside and boundary layer phenomena based predominantly on multipoint studies. The Doublestar TC-1 spacecraft has also sampled either the subsolar region of the magnetopause, or southerly latitudes, at similar local times to cluster. We therefore also review coordinated CLUSTER-Double Star conjunctions for a number of dayside passes to investigate reconnection associated signatures observed at different locations. We Focus on both transient FTEs, arising from opened flux ropes during intermittant reconnection, and comparative boundary layer signatures during cusp and magnetopause transitions and investigate structure and dynamics of the magnetopause and FTE occurance on motion. Cluster provides good coordination with ionospheric instrumentation, particularly the EISCAT and SuperDARN radars and ground magnetomters and we also review investigations of the ground signatures of reconnection (FTEs and boundary layers) and other features of magnetospheric response. The spacecraft are conjugate simulataneously with both the ESR radar on Svalbard, and the Antarctic station at Zhongshan, when the ground stations lie under the cusp position, Cluster is passing out from the northern cusp and TC-1 is near the magnetopause.