Abstract
The IMAGE extreme ultraviolet (EUV) imager obtained global images of the plasmasphere erosion of 10 July 2000, in which the nightside plasmapause moved inward by about 2 RE during 5–8 UT. We use plasmapause motion to infer the electric (E) field component tangent to the moving plasmapause; in general we lack knowledge of the perpendicular E‐field component. In the midnight‐to‐dawn quadrant where the plasmapause shape is very nearly circular, the tangential E‐field component is equal to the azimuthal electric field Eφ. Peak westward E‐fields of 0.6–1.3 mV/m were found at the plasmapause between L ≈ 4–6, an inner magnetospheric E‐field that was 25% of the solar wind E‐field. The MLT‐concentration of the inferred E‐field suggests that convective flows may produce partial indentation of the nightside plasmapause (especially in the midnight‐to‐dawn sector) that widens as the edges of the indentation propagate azimuthally.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
