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Physics & Astronomy

Series

2011

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Physics

Neutral Atom Imaging Of The Magnetospheric Cusps, S. M. Petrinec, M. A. Dayeh, H. O. Funsten, S. A. Fuselier, David F. Heirtzler, P. Janzen, Harald A. Kucharek, D. J. Mccomas, Eberhard Moebius, T. E. Moore, D. B. Reisenfeld, Nathan A. Schwadron, K. J. Trattner, P. Wurz Jul 2011

Neutral Atom Imaging Of The Magnetospheric Cusps, S. M. Petrinec, M. A. Dayeh, H. O. Funsten, S. A. Fuselier, David F. Heirtzler, P. Janzen, Harald A. Kucharek, D. J. Mccomas, Eberhard Moebius, T. E. Moore, D. B. Reisenfeld, Nathan A. Schwadron, K. J. Trattner, P. Wurz

Physics & Astronomy

The magnetospheric cusps separate closed dayside magnetospheric field lines from open field lines of the magnetotail mantle and lobes. All magnetospheric field lines that map to the magnetopause also pass through the cusp regions. Thus whenever magnetic reconnection occurs at the magnetopause, magnetosheath plasma can enter one or both of the cusp regions and charge exchange with the geocorona. The resulting energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) resulting from this charge exchange process propagate away from the cusps and are observed remotely by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). The asymmetry of the ENA intensities between the northern and southern cusps are strongly …


The Radial Evolution Of Solar Wind Speeds, S. L. Mcgregor, W. J. Hughes, C. N. Arge, D. Odstrcil, Nathan A. Schwadron Mar 2011

The Radial Evolution Of Solar Wind Speeds, S. L. Mcgregor, W. J. Hughes, C. N. Arge, D. Odstrcil, Nathan A. Schwadron

Physics & Astronomy

The WSA-ENLIL model predicts significant evolution of the solar wind speed. Along a flux tube the solar wind speed at 1.0 AU and beyond is found to be significantly altered from the solar wind speed in the outer corona at 0.1 AU, with most of the change occurring within a few tenths of an AU from the Sun. The evolution of the solar wind speed is most pronounced during solar minimum for solar wind with observed speeds at 1.0 AU between 400 and 500 km/s, while the fastest and slowest solar wind experiences little acceleration or deceleration. Solar wind ionic …


First Ibex Observations Of The Terrestrial Plasma Sheet And A Possible Disconnection Event, D. J. Mccomas, M. A. Dayeh, H. O. Funsten, S. A. Fuselier, J. Goldstein, J. M. Jahn, P. Janzen, D. G. Mitchell, S. M. Petrinec, D. B. Reisenfeld, Nathan A. Schwadron Feb 2011

First Ibex Observations Of The Terrestrial Plasma Sheet And A Possible Disconnection Event, D. J. Mccomas, M. A. Dayeh, H. O. Funsten, S. A. Fuselier, J. Goldstein, J. M. Jahn, P. Janzen, D. G. Mitchell, S. M. Petrinec, D. B. Reisenfeld, Nathan A. Schwadron

Physics & Astronomy

The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission has recently provided the first all-sky maps of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) emitted from the edge of the heliosphere as well as the first observations of ENAs from the Moon and from the magnetosheath stagnation region at the nose of the magnetosphere. This study provides the first IBEX images of the ENA emissions from the nightside magnetosphere and plasma sheet. We show images from two IBEX orbits: one that displays typical plasma sheet emissions, which correlate reasonably well with a model magnetic field, and a second that shows a significant intensification that may indicate …