Interplanetary magnetic field orientations associated with bidirectional electron heat fluxes detected at ISEE 3

Abstract

A statistical survey of interplanetary magnetic field orientations associated with bidirectional electron heat fluxes observed at ISEE 3 in orbit about the Sunward Lagrange point indicates that magnetic connection of the spacecraft to the Earth's bow shock was frequently the source of the bidirectionality. When the interplanetary magnetic field was oriented within 5° of the Earth‐spacecraft line, backstreaming electrons from the bow shock were clearly observed approximately 18% of the time, and connections apparently occurred for angles as large as ∼30°–35°.