Kelvin-Helmholtz(K-H) waves are formed from the triggering of the K-H instability on the magnetopause,which is a candidate mechanism for solar wind entry into the magnetosphere,especially under northward interplanetary magnetic field conditions.In this study,a K-H wave event was identified from the observation of probe B of the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms(THEMIS) mission on 15 May 2008.A new method to determine the wave parameters of the K-H waves in single-spacecraft observations is proposed.The dominant wave period is determined by three kinds of spectrograms for three key parameters,namely the ion density,the ion temperature,and the z component of magnetic field.The phase velocity is estimated by calculating the center-of-mass velocity of the detected K-H vortex region.This approximation is validated by comparison with other alternative methods.The method to determine the wave parameters is a first step to further study K-H wave properties and their relationship with interplanetary conditions.
The process of ion heating by a monochromatic obliquely propagating low-frequency Alfven wave is investigated. This process can be roughly divided into three stages: at first,the ions are picked up by the Alfven wave in several gyro-periods and a bulk velocity in the transverse direction is achieved; then, the ions are scattered in the transverse direction by the wave, which produces phase differences between the ions and leads to ion heating, especially in the perpendicular direction; and finally, the ions are stochastically heated due to the subcyclotron resonance. In this paper, with a test particle method, the efficiency and time scale of the ion stochastic heating by a monochromatic obliquely propagating low-frequency Alfven wave are studied. The results show that with the increase of the amplitude, frequency, and propagation angle of the Alfven wave, the efficiency of the ion stochastic heating increases, while the time scale of the ion stochastic heating decreases. With the increase of the plasma beta β, the ions are stochastically heated with less efficiency, and the time scale increases. We also investigate the heating of heavy ion species(He2+and O5+), which can be heated with a higher efficiency by the oblique Alfven wave.
The plasma transport between the plasmasphere and the ionosphere in response to the interplanetary conditions is still not fully understood until now.Simultaneous observations of the plasmasphere and ionosphere from the newly developed Chinese Meridian Project provide a new opportunity for understanding the characteristic of the plasma transport and the coupling mechanism between these two regions.We investigate the response of the plasmasphere(L≈2)and ionosphere to the solar wind dynamic pressure pulse during geomagnetically quiet period of 21–27 March 2011.The response of the plasmasphere shows a significant depletion.The plasmaspheric density nearly decreases by half in response to the solar wind dynamic pressure pulse,and subsequently recovers to the original level in 1–2 d.Meanwhile,the maximum electron density of the ionospheric F2 layer(NmF2)and the total electron content(TEC)increase by 13%and 21%,respectively,and then gradually recover,which is opposite to the behavior during magnetic storms.Preliminary analysis shows that the plasmaspheric depletion may be mainly caused by the southward interplanetary magnetic field and changing dawn-dusk electric field.The plasmaspheric density variations seem to be controlled by both the IMF and ionospheric conditions.
Previous electrostatic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations have pointed out that electron phase-space holes (electron holes) can be formed during the nonlinear evolution of the electron two-stream instability. The parallel cuts of the parallel and perpendicular electric field have bipolar and unipolar structures in these electron holes, respectively. In this study, two-dimensional (2D) electromagnetic PIC simulations are performed in the x y plane to investigate the evolution of the electron two-stream instability, with the emphasis on the magnetic structures associated with these electron holes in different plasma conditions. In the simulations, the background magnetic field (Bo= Boex ) is along the x direction. In weakly magnetized plasma (Ωe < ωpe , whereΩe and ωpe are the electron gyrofrequency and electron plasma frequency, respectively), several 2D electron holes are formed. In these 2D electron holes, the parallel cut of the fluctuating magnetic field δBx and δBz has unipolar structures, while the fluctuating magnetic field δB y has bipolar structures. In strongly magnetized plasma (Ωe > ωpe ), several quasi-1D electron holes are formed. The electrostatic whistler waves with streaked structures of E y are excited. The fluctuating magnetic field δB x and δBz also have streaked structures. The fluctuating magnetic field δBx and δB y are produced by the current in the z direction due to the electric field drift of the trapped electrons, while the fluctuating magnetic field δBz can be explained by the Lorentz transformation of a moving quasielectrostatic structure. The influences of the initial temperature anisotropy on the magnetic structures of the electron holes are also analyzed. The electromagnetic whistler waves are found to be excited in weakly magnetized plasma. However, they do not have any significant effects on the electrostatic structures of the electron holes.
Using the global magnetohydrodynamics(MHD) simulation model, we investigated the effects of the interplanetary magnetic field(IMF) clock angle on the shape of bow shock, including its rotational asymmetry and subsolar point. For general northward IMF( z component Bz > 0), the rotational symmetry of the bow shock is broken by the effects of fast magnetosonic Mach number(Mms), and the cross-sectional line of the bow shock is an ellipse with the semi-major axis along the direction perpendicular to the IMF. The ratio or D-value between semi-major and semi-minor axis can be used to illustrate the extent of asymmetry of the bow shock. On the basis of the multiple parameters fitting, we obtain the changing relationship of both semi-axes with the clock angle and the distance away from the Earth. For general southward IMF(Bz < 0), the cross sectional line of the bow shock is highly asymmetrical under the multiple effects of magnetopause and Mms. The effects of IMF clock angle on subsolar point depend mainly on the changing subsolar point of magnetopause as an obstacle. The distance of subsolar point of bow shock from the Earth increases with the increasing IMF clock angle for Bz > 0, and decreases with the increasing IMF clock angle for Bz < 0.
The Meridian Project is a ground-based network program to monitor solar-terrestrial space environment,which consists of a chain of 15 ground-based observatories located roughly along 120°E longitude and 30°N latitude.The Meridian project started in 2008,and its construction was completed by 2011.The integration and test phase of the Meridian Project conducted in 2011 demonstrated its observation capabilities as expected.The project will be in full operation in 2012. This report gives an overview of the recent development and preliminary results of the Meridian Project since 2010.
