Observations of field‐aligned energetic electron and ion distributions near the magnetopause at geosynchronous orbit

Abstract

On August 28, 1978, the dayside magnetopause crossed the geosynchronous satellite GEOS 2 several times during a geomagnetically disturbed period, and clear signatures of the interconnection of field lines through the magnetopause were observed. The MPAE particle spectrometer provided high time resolution observations of the distribution of energetic electrons (E > 22 keV) and ions (E > 27 keV). Magnetometer data were used to determine the location of GEOS 2 relative to the magnetopause. The pitch angle distributions of ions and electrons were found to be strongly asymmetric with respect to 90°, and the asymmetries have been interpreted in terms of field‐aligned particle streaming. Evidence is provided for the first time for electron streaming inside the magnetopause which continues for many bounce periods. It is concluded that magnetospheric field lines opened, at least for brief time intervals, as a consequence of interconnection with magnetosheath field lines. Comparisons of electron spectra provide evidence that the streaming electrons observed in the magnetosheath originate in the magnetosphere.