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Cluster Observations Of A Cusp Diamagnetic Cavity: Structure, Size, And Dynamics, K. Nykyri, A. Otto, E. Adamson, E. Dougal, J. Mumme

Publications

We have analyzed Cluster magnetic field and plasma data during high‐altitude cusp crossing and compared them with high‐resolution MHD simulations. Cluster encountered a diamagnetic cavity (DMC) during northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions, and as the IMF rotated southward, the spacecraft reencountered the cavity more at the sunward side of the cusp because the reconnection site had changed location. We found evidence of magnetic reconnection both during northward and southward IMF conditions. The Cluster separation was ∼5000 km, enabling for the first time measurements both inside the DMC and surrounding boundaries that allowed us to construct the structure of the …