Baker, D.N.,
Co-Authors: W.K. Peterson, S. Erikksson, X. Li, J.B. Blake, J.L. Burch, P.W. Daly, M.W. Dunlop, A. Korth, E. Donovan, R. Friedel, T.A. Fritz, H.U. Frey, S.B. Mende, J. Roeder, and H.J. Singer,
Title: Timing of magnetic reconnection initiation during a global magnetospheric substorm onset,
Reference: Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, No. 24, 2190, (doi:10.1029/2000glo15539) 2002.
Reference Type: Published Journal
CEPPAD: true
CAMMICE: false
RAPID: true
Abstract:
We have used a unique constellation of Earth-orbiting spacecraft and ground-based measurements in order to study a rela-tively isolated magnetospheric substorm event on August 27, 2001. Global ultraviolet images of the northern auroral region established the substorm expansion phase onset at 0408:19 (±1 min) UT. Concurrent measurements from the GOES-8, POLAR, LANL, and CLUSTER spacecraft allow us to construct a timeline which is consistent with magnetic reconnection on the closed field lines of the central plasma sheet near XGSM ~-18 RE some 7 minutes prior to the near-earth and auroral region times of substorm expansion phase onset. This suggests that magnetic reconnection (i.e., the substorm neutral line) in this case formed in the mid-tail region substantially before current disruption, field dipolarization near geostationary orbit, or auroral substorm onsets occurred. Thus, the magnetic reconnection process is interpreted as the causative driver of dissipatio! n in this well-observed case.
