We analyze Double Star TC-1 magnetic field data from July to September in 2004 and find that plas-moids exist in the very near-Earth magnetotail. It is the first time that TC-1 observes the plasmoids inthe magnetotail at X > ?13 RE. According to the difference of the magnetic field structure in plasmoids,we choose two typical cases for our study: the magnetic flux rope on August 6 with the open magneticfield and the magnetic loop on September 14 with the closed magnetic field. Both of the cases are as-sociated with the high speed earthward flow and the magnetic loop is related to a strong substorm. Theions can escape from the magnetic flux rope along its open field line, but the case of the closed mag-netic loop can trap the ions. The earthward flowing plasmoids observed by TC-1 indicate that the mul-tiple X-line magnetic reconnection occurs beyond the distance of X=?10 RE from the earth.
ZHANG YongCunLIU ZhenXingSHEN ChaoDUAN SuPingHE ZhaoHaiC M CARRH REME
