The motion and magnetic structure of the plasma sheet near 30RE |
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| Authors: | SB Bowling RA Wolf |
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| Institution: | Department of Space Physics and Astronomy Rice University, Houston, Texas 77001, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Data taken by the NASA-GSFC magentometer aboard the Explorer 34 satellite are analysed in an effort ascertain the average motion and magnetic field structure of the plasma sheet near 30RE. We find that the flapping motion of the plasma sheet in the solar ecliptic Z-coordinate is characterized by a typical speed of 90 km/sec and an amplitude of ±2RE. Results suggest that there exists a layer of nearly uniform cross-tail current density in the central region of the plasma sheet approx 2· 3-2· 6RE thick within which the solar-magnetospheric X-component of the magnetic field changes from 10γ to ? 10γ. Near the centre of the plasma sheet, the average value of the Z-component of the field is 2γ. The analysis does not suggest a strong dependence of the magnetic-field configuration on Kp. |
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