Abstract
The polar cusps of the magnetosphere are key regions for the transfer of mass, momentum, and energy from the solar wind into the magnetosphere. Understaning these key regions and the dynamical interactions that occur there are fundamentally important to determining the physical nature of the magnetosphere. In this paper we try to summarize many of the conclusions reached in the papers of this special issue emphasizing the present concepts and definition of the cusp, what variations could be temporal structures and what could be spatial structures. We address the need for further measurements and the role of present and planned projects to address these needs.
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Abbreviations
- DMSP:
-
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
- LLBL:
-
Low Latitude Boundary Layer
- TBL:
-
Turbulent Boundary Layer
- IMF:
-
Interplanetary Magnetic Field
- FTE:
-
Flux Transfer Event
- MHD:
-
Magnetohydrodynamics
- MLT:
-
Magnetic Local Time
- RAPID:
-
Research with Adaptive Particle Imaging Detectors
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Fritz, T.A., Zong, Q.G. The Magnetospheric cusps: A Summary. Surv Geophys 26, 409–414 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-005-1904-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-005-1904-2