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Evolution of Kelvin-Helmholtz activity on the dusk flank magnetopause
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Foullon, C. (Claire), Farrugia, C. J. (Charles John), Fazakerley, A. N., Owen, C. J. (Christopher J.), Gratton, F. T. and Torbert, Roy Banks (2008) Evolution of Kelvin-Helmholtz activity on the dusk flank magnetopause. Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics, Vol.113 . doi:10.1029/2008JA013175 ISSN 0148-0227.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2008JA013175
Abstract
Our purpose is to characterize the evolution of the magnetopause Kelvin-Helmholtz
(KH) wave activity with changes in thickness of the adjacent boundary layer,
geomagnetic latitude and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation. As the IMF
turns northward, wave activity may be generated at the dayside before propagating
down the tail, where the boundary layer is expected to support longer wavelengths. We
use two-point observations on the dusk magnetopause at low latitudes, from Geotail on
the dayside and Cluster tailward of the dusk terminator. We quantify the wavelength,
power, wavefront steepness and propagation direction at Cluster. An estimate of the
thickness of the low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL) is obtained by correlating normal
distances to the magnetopause, derived from two empirical solar-wind-driven models,
with a systematic relationship (the "transition parameter") found between the electron
number density and temperature; the correlation factor is used to infer the temporal
evolution of the thickness of the locally sampled layer. We find that wavelengths are
controlled by the IMF clock angle, as expected when generated by the KH mechanism
at the dayside, although amplitudes, wavefront steepness and propagation directions are
more closely correlated with the layer thickness. A survey of parameter space provides
evidence of the contribution of the KH mechanism to the widening of the electron LLBL.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy | ||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Physics | ||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Magnetopause, Magnetohydrodynamic waves, Interplanetary magnetic fields, Boundary layer | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics | ||||
Publisher: | American Geophysical Union | ||||
ISSN: | 0148-0227 | ||||
Official Date: | 2008 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Vol.113 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1029/2008JA013175 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | ||||
Funder: | Science and Technology Facilities Council (Great Britain) (STFC), United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) | ||||
Grant number: | NNG05GG25G (NASA) |
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