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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH,
VOL. 108, NO. A1,
1010,
doi:10.1029/2002JA009281,
2003
Plasma depletion layer: Event studies with a global model
Y. L. Wang
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics,
University of California,
Los Angeles,
California,
USA
J. Raeder
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics,
University of California,
Los Angeles,
California,
USA
C. T. Russell
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics,
University of California,
Los Angeles,
California,
USA
T. D. Phan
Space Science Laboratory,
University of California,
Berkeley,
California,
USA
M. Manapat
Space Science Laboratory,
University of California,
Berkeley,
California,
USA
Abstract
The plasma depletion layer (PDL) is a layer on the sunward side of the magnetopause with lower plasma density and higher magnetic
field compared to the corresponding upstream magnetosheath values. In this study we use global simulations of the solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere
system to compare with Wind PDL observations on the flanks of the magnetopause on 12 January 1996 and 1 January 1999. The
consistency between model results and observations shows that the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) description of the plasma is sufficient
to describe the PDL process observed in this region. The simulation also shows that the PDL is stable as long as the interplanetary
magnetic field (IMF) has no major variations. Temporal-spatial ambiguities are analyzed for the 1996 event, and a significant
difference between the time series and the instantaneous PDL spatial structure is found. A much smoother instantaneous PDL
spatial structure is found than observed in the simulated spacecraft time series, which is highly modulated by solar wind
and IMF variations. The local time and latitude dependence of the PDL for the 1996 event are also obtained from the model
that predicts that a thinner PDL occurs near the subsolar point and a thicker PDL exists farther away from that point.
Published 10
January
2003.
Index Terms: 2724 Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers; 2728 Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosheath; 2784 Magnetospheric Physics: Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions; 2740 Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics.
Read Full Article (file size: 1144678 bytes) Cited by
Citation: Wang, Y. L., J. Raeder, C. T. Russell, T. D. Phan, and M. Manapat
(2003),
Plasma depletion layer: Event studies with a global model,
J. Geophys. Res.,
108(A1),
1010,
doi:10.1029/2002JA009281.
Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union.
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