Magnetic Separatrix Identification and Measurement of Flow Across It

摘要9423489里昂这是一个研究太阳风能量如何进入地球磁层的项目。能量转移的速度由沿分界线的电场控制，分界线是磁层表面开放和闭合的磁力线之间的边界。在这项研究中，地面观测将被用来测量磁力线在分隔线上重新连接的速度。必须同时测量分离线的运动和流过它的等离子体。研究人员将使用雷达和光学技术测量这些量，时间分辨率足以解决与极光亚暴的增长和扩张阶段有关的变化。这些结果将被用来测试磁层中的等离子体对流模型，并评估重联理论的准确性。还将研究与极光亚暴和日侧瞬变效应有关的重联率的变化。***

Abstract 9423489 Lyons This is a project to investigate how energy from the solar wind enters Earth's magnetosphere. The rate of energy transfer is controlled by the electric field along the separatrix, which is the boundary between open and closed magnetic field lines at the surface of the magnetosphere. For this study, ground-based observations will be used to measure the rate of reconnection of magnetic field lines across the separatrix. Both the motion of the separatrix and the flow of plasma across it must be measured simultaneously. The investigators will measure these quantities using radar and optical techniques with a time resolution sufficient to resolve changes associated with the growth and expansion phases of auroral substorms. The results will be used to test models of plasma convection in the magnetosphere and to evaluate the accuracy of reconnection theories. The variation in reconnection rate associated with auroral substorms and dayside transient effects will also be studied. ***