| Name | Description | Spatial scale (Thickness x Width, Re) |
Time scale (hrs) | Spacecraft/ Instrumentation |
Scientists who defined/ agreed with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depletion layer | A magnetosheath region just outside the magnetopause which plasma density decreases but magnetic field strength increases relative to the adjacent magnetosheath plasma. It mostly occurs when the IMF is northward | 1x10 | 10 | ISEE/FPE, AMPTE/IRM plasma | ?, D. Fairfield, D. Sibeck, P. Song |
| Slow mode transition layer | A magnetosheath region just outside the magnetopause which plasma density and magnetic field strength changes in a manner similar to the slow mode MHD waves. That is the variations in density and field strength is out-of-phase. This often occurs when the IMF is northward. | 1x10 | 10 | ISEE/FPE | P. Song |
| Magnetic field line merging layer | A region just inside the magnetopause where magnetic field merging process occurs. | 0.1x10 | 10 | ISEE/FPE | ?,Petcheck, B. Sonnerup |
| Magnetopause | An interface separates magnetospheric plasma and solar wind plasma. It is located at where the plasma density, plasma temperature, and magnetic field change dramatically from one plasma to another. | 0.1x1000 | 1000 | Explorer 1 ? | Don Fairfield and everyone else |
| Current layer | A relative thin layer at the magnetopause where the magnetic field orientation has significant changes. It mostly coincides with where plasma density and temperature varies from one plasma to another. That is where the magnetopause is located. | 0.1x100 | 1000 | Explorer 1? | ? |
| Low latitude boundary layer | Magnetospheric boundary layers at latitudes near the equatorial plane. It ranges from subsolar region to distance magnetotail. | 1x100 | 1000 | IMP 6/?, ISEE/FPE | T. Eastman |
| High latitude boundary layer (Plasma Mantle) | Magnetospheric boundary layer at latitudes away from the equatorial plane and antisunward of polar cusps. | 1-5x100 | 1000 | ISEE/FPE | G. Siscoe |
| Plasma entry layer | Regions sunward of polar cusps. It is a forefont passage that solar wind particles enter the polar cusps. | 5x5 | 100 | AMPTE/plasma instrument | Paschmann et.al. |
| Polar cusps | A pair of plasma regions where the Earth's magnetospheric magnetic field diverges and converges. | 1x1 | 100 | Hawkeye | ? |
| Name | Description | Spatial scale (Re) | Time scale (min) | Spacecraft/ Instrumentation |
Scientists who defined/ agreed with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reconnection | ? | 0.1-1 | 1-100 | ISEE/FPE, MAG | ? |
| Flux transfer events | ? | 1-10 | 10-100 | ISEE/FPE, ISEE/MAG | C.T. Russell |
| Pressure pulses | ? | 0.1-1 | 10-100 | ISEE/FPE, MAG | D Siback |
| Surface waves | ? | 0.1 | 1-100 | ISEE/FPE, MAG | D. Fairfield, P. Song, S. Chen, etc. |
| Name | Physical Phenomena | Instrumentation | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depletion layer | 5 | 5 | - |
| Slow mode transition layer | 5 | 5 | - |
| Magnetopause | 5 | - | - |
| Field line merging layer | 5 | - | - |
| Low latitude boundary layer | 5 | - | - |
| High latitude boundary layer | 5 | - | - |
| Plasma entry layers | 5 | - | - |
| Polar cusps | 5 | - | - |
| Reconnection | 5 | - | - |
| Flux transfer events | 5 | - | - |
| Surface waves | 5 | - | - |
| Mission |
| Instrumentation |
| Research Group |
| Scientist |
| Name | Solar wind plasma | Interplanetary magnetic field | Influences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depletion layer | 5 | 1 | - |
| Slow mode transition layer | 5 | 1 | - |
| Magnetopause | 5 | - | - |
| Field line merging layer | 1 | 5 | - |
| Low latitude boundary layer | 5 | 5 | - |
| High latitude boundary layer | 2 | 5 | - |
| Plasma entry layers | 2 | 5 | - |
| Polar cusps | 3 | 3 | - |
| Reconnection | 2 | 5 | - |
| Flux transfer events | 2 | 5 | - |
| Surface waves | 5 | 5 | - |
Eastman, T. E., The magnetospheric boundary layer: site of plasma, momentum and energy transfer from the magnetosheath into the magnetosphere, GRL, vol 3, 685, 1976.
Eastman, T. E., et al., The boundary layers as the primary transport regions of the Earth's magnetotail, JGR, 90, 9541, 1985.
Fujimoto, M., et al., A geotail observation of low-latitude boundary layer, Adv. Space Res., 20, 813, 1997.
Fujimoto, M., et al., Structure of the low-latitude boundary layer: A case study with Geotail data, JGR 103, 2297, 1998.
Nakamura, M, et al., Geotail observation at the dayside magnetopause - confirmation of reconnection events, Adv. Space Res. 20, 779, 1997.
Gosling, J. T., et al., Plasma flow reversals at the dayside magnetopause and the origin of asymmetric polar cap convection, JGR 95, 8073, 1990.
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