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Ann. Geophys., 23, 2903-2907, 2005
www.ann-geophys.net/23/2903/2005/
© European Geosciences Union 2005

Double Star, Cluster, and ground-based observations of magnetic reconnection during an interval of duskward oriented IMF: preliminary results

J. A. Wild¹, S. E. Milan¹, J. A. Davies², S. W. H. Cowley¹, C. M. Carr³, and A. Balogh^3
1Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
²Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
³Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BZ, UK

Abstract. We present a space- and ground-based study exploiting data from the coordinated Cluster and Double Star missions in order to investigate dayside magnetic reconnection under B_Y+ dominated IMF conditions. In-situ observations of magnetosheath flux transfer events combined with measurements of pulsed poleward and dawnward directed flows in the pre-noon sector high-latitude northern hemisphere ionosphere are interpreted as indications of pulsed magnetic reconnection during an interval in which the IMF remained relatively steady. Observations of newly-reconnected magnetic flux tubes anchored in the northern hemisphere both at mid-latitudes and in the vicinity of the subsolar point suggests that during B_Y+ dominated IMF, reconnection is not, as proposed previously, limited to the high-latitude magnetopause.

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Citation: Wild, J. A., Milan, S. E., Davies, J. A., Cowley, S. W. H., Carr, C. M., and Balogh, A.: Double Star, Cluster, and ground-based observations of magnetic reconnection during an interval of duskward oriented IMF: preliminary results, Ann. Geophys., 23, 2903-2907, 2005.   Bibtex   EndNote   Reference Manager