Magnetotail particle distributions associated with pitch angle isotropization

Abstract

We present modeled ion distributions in the near-Earth magnetotail expected to be associated with high latitude pitch angle isotropization. The model consists of a magnetic field reversal and a plasma source such that particles have a ratio of the minimum field line curvature radius to maximum gyroradius near unity, a nonadiabatic regime. For precipitating particles observed at the edge of the field reversal, we find structuring in the ion distribution consisting of peaks and valleys in the pitch angle distribution, particularly for intermediate values of field line curvature, which is consistent with the near-Earth tail region. The structures are non-Maxwellian and not gyrotropic. They are resolvable by instruments such as the GEOTAIL spacecraft CPI detector and can be used as a remote sensing method for fields in this regime between adiabatic motion and current sheet motion.