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Mixed Azimuthal Scales of Flux Transfer Events

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Book cover The Cluster Active Archive

Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings ((ASSSP))

Abstract

Previous observations have allowed the scale size of flux transfer events (FTEs) to be determined both normal to the magnetopause and in the direction of motion of the FTE, but a key difference between some different models of FTE structure is their azimuthal scale size. Previous ground-based observations of the ionospheric signatures of FTEs indicated that magnetic reconnection can occur coherently over large extents of the magnetopause, but in situ determination of the azimuthal scale size of FTEs has not been possible until recent Cluster magnetopause crossing seasons when the separation of the spacecraft was ∼10, 000 km. In this paper, we present Cluster observations of flux transfer events from the 27th March 2007, along with observations of the conjugate ionospheric signatures. We highlight two magnetospheric FTEs which were consistent with long X-line FTE models, but note also several FTEs with considerably smaller azimuthal scale.

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Acknowledgments

OMNI data obtained from the GSFC/SPDF OMNIWeb interface at http://omniweb.gsfc.nasa.gov, and based upon Wind MFI and SWE observations courtesy of R. Lepping and K. Ogilvie. Work at Leicester was supported by Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) grant PP/E000983/1. Cluster data analysis was done with the QSAS science analysis system provided by the United Kingdom Cluster Science Centre, supported by STFC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    R. C. Fear, S. E. Milan & S. W. H. Cowley

  2. Imperial College London, London, UK

    E. A. Lucek

  3. Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, London, UK

    A. N. Fazakerley

Authors
  1. R. C. Fear
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  2. S. E. Milan
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  3. E. A. Lucek
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  4. S. W. H. Cowley
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  5. A. N. Fazakerley
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. C. Fear .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. European Space Research &, European Space Agency, Keplerlaan 1, Noordwijk, 2200 AG, Netherlands

    Harri Laakso

  2. ESTEC/SRE-S, European Space Agency, Noordwijk, 2200 AG, Netherlands

    Matthew Taylor

  3. ESTEC/SRE-S, European Space Agency, Noordwijk, 2200 AG, Netherlands

    C. Philippe Escoubet

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Fear, R.C., Milan, S.E., Lucek, E.A., Cowley, S.W.H., Fazakerley, A.N. (2010). Mixed Azimuthal Scales of Flux Transfer Events. In: Laakso, H., Taylor, M., Escoubet, C. (eds) The Cluster Active Archive. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3499-1_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3499-1_27

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-3498-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-90-481-3499-1

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