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Topology of High-Latitude Magnetospheric Currents

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The Dynamic Magnetosphere

Part of the book series: IAGA Special Sopron Book Series ((IAGA,volume 3))

Abstract

The structure and localization of high latitude transverse and field-aligned currents are analyzed using the data from the Themis satellite mission. A number of evidences resumed in this paper, including daytime compression of magnetic field lines and the existence of magnetic field minima far from the equatorial plane make necessary to reanalyze the traditional points of view about the topology of high-latitude magnetospheric currents. Comparison between the dayside integral transverse currents at the geocentric distances 7–10R E , calculated assuming the validity of the condition of magnetostatic equilibrium and the nighttime transverse currents, showed that ordinary ring current has the high latitude continuation until geocentric distances ∼10–13R E . The problem of the location of Region 1 field-aligned current of Iijima and Potemra is discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the teams who provided THEMIS and Polar data obtained via NSSDC CDAWEB online facility. The work is supported by FONDECYT grant 1070131, RFBR grant 10-05-00247-a.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    Elizaveta E. Antonova, Igor P. Kirpichev, Ilya L. Ovchinnikov, Maria S. Pulinets, Svetlana S. Znatkova & Ksenia G. Orlova

  2. Space Research Institute RAS, Moscow, Russia

    Elizaveta E. Antonova & Igor P. Kirpichev

  3. Physics Department, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Marina V. Stepanova

Authors
  1. Elizaveta E. Antonova
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  2. Igor P. Kirpichev
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  3. Ilya L. Ovchinnikov
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  4. Maria S. Pulinets
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  5. Svetlana S. Znatkova
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  6. Ksenia G. Orlova
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  7. Marina V. Stepanova
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Correspondence to Elizaveta E. Antonova .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Spacecraft Engineering, Canadian Space Agency, route de l'Aeroport 6767, St.-Hubert, J3Y 8Y9, Québec, Canada

    William Liu

  2. Astronautical Science (ISAS), Institute of Space &, Yoshinodai 3-1-1, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 229-8510, Japan

    Masaki Fujimoto

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Antonova, E.E. et al. (2011). Topology of High-Latitude Magnetospheric Currents. In: Liu, W., Fujimoto, M. (eds) The Dynamic Magnetosphere. IAGA Special Sopron Book Series, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0501-2_11

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