Initiation of ballooning instability in the near-Earth plasma sheet prior to the 23 March 2007 THEMIS substorm expansion onset
In this work, we analyze the ballooning stability of the near-Earth plasma sheet prior to the initial expansion onset of the 23 March 2007 THEMIS substorm event. Using solar wind data from WIND satellite observation for the substorm event as an input at dayside, we reconstructed a sequence of gl...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2009-03-01
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| Series: | Annales Geophysicae |
| Online Access: | https://www.ann-geophys.net/27/1129/2009/angeo-27-1129-2009.pdf |
| _version_ | 1819261628886024192 |
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| author | P. Zhu J. Raeder K. Germaschewski C. C. Hegna |
| author_facet | P. Zhu J. Raeder K. Germaschewski C. C. Hegna |
| author_sort | P. Zhu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this work, we analyze the ballooning stability of the near-Earth
plasma sheet prior to the initial expansion onset of the 23 March
2007 THEMIS substorm event. Using solar wind data from WIND satellite
observation for the substorm event as an input at dayside, we
reconstructed a sequence of global magnetospheric configurations
around the expansion onset by means of OpenGGCM simulation. These
simulations have reproduced most of the salient features, including
the onset timing, observed in the THEMIS substorm
event (Raeder et al., 2008). The ballooning instability criterion is
evaluated using eigenvalue analyses for the near-Earth plasma sheet
region when the configuration attains a quasi-static equilibrium
condition prior to the onset. Our analysis of the evolution of the
near-Earth magnetotail region during the substorm growth phase (10:10 UT
to 10:43 UT) reveals a correlation between the breaching of the
ballooning stability condition and the initial expansion onset in the
temporal domain. The analysis indicates that the ballooning
instability is at first initiated by the stretching of closed field
lines near the region with a local nonzero minimum in normal component
of magnetic field (<I>B<sub>z</sub></I>>0) associated with the formation of a
bipolar-flow pattern in the near-Earth plasma sheet around
10 <I>R<sub>E</sub></I>. The subsequent initiation of ballooning instability with
enhanced growth rate occurs (about 28 min later) on those most
stretched closed field lines Earthward of the neutral line following
the formation and the tailward recession of a plasmoid. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T19:44:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1b8f267d5e98450bab02a98901803aac |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0992-7689 1432-0576 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T19:44:50Z |
| publishDate | 2009-03-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Annales Geophysicae |
| spelling | doaj.art-1b8f267d5e98450bab02a98901803aac2022-12-21T17:33:34ZengCopernicus PublicationsAnnales Geophysicae0992-76891432-05762009-03-01271129113810.5194/angeo-27-1129-2009Initiation of ballooning instability in the near-Earth plasma sheet prior to the 23 March 2007 THEMIS substorm expansion onsetP. Zhu0J. Raeder1K. Germaschewski2C. C. Hegna3Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USADepartment of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USADepartment of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USADepartment of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USAIn this work, we analyze the ballooning stability of the near-Earth plasma sheet prior to the initial expansion onset of the 23 March 2007 THEMIS substorm event. Using solar wind data from WIND satellite observation for the substorm event as an input at dayside, we reconstructed a sequence of global magnetospheric configurations around the expansion onset by means of OpenGGCM simulation. These simulations have reproduced most of the salient features, including the onset timing, observed in the THEMIS substorm event (Raeder et al., 2008). The ballooning instability criterion is evaluated using eigenvalue analyses for the near-Earth plasma sheet region when the configuration attains a quasi-static equilibrium condition prior to the onset. Our analysis of the evolution of the near-Earth magnetotail region during the substorm growth phase (10:10 UT to 10:43 UT) reveals a correlation between the breaching of the ballooning stability condition and the initial expansion onset in the temporal domain. The analysis indicates that the ballooning instability is at first initiated by the stretching of closed field lines near the region with a local nonzero minimum in normal component of magnetic field (<I>B<sub>z</sub></I>>0) associated with the formation of a bipolar-flow pattern in the near-Earth plasma sheet around 10 <I>R<sub>E</sub></I>. The subsequent initiation of ballooning instability with enhanced growth rate occurs (about 28 min later) on those most stretched closed field lines Earthward of the neutral line following the formation and the tailward recession of a plasmoid.https://www.ann-geophys.net/27/1129/2009/angeo-27-1129-2009.pdf |
| spellingShingle | P. Zhu J. Raeder K. Germaschewski C. C. Hegna Initiation of ballooning instability in the near-Earth plasma sheet prior to the 23 March 2007 THEMIS substorm expansion onset Annales Geophysicae |
| title | Initiation of ballooning instability in the near-Earth plasma sheet prior to the 23 March 2007 THEMIS substorm expansion onset |
| title_full | Initiation of ballooning instability in the near-Earth plasma sheet prior to the 23 March 2007 THEMIS substorm expansion onset |
| title_fullStr | Initiation of ballooning instability in the near-Earth plasma sheet prior to the 23 March 2007 THEMIS substorm expansion onset |
| title_full_unstemmed | Initiation of ballooning instability in the near-Earth plasma sheet prior to the 23 March 2007 THEMIS substorm expansion onset |
| title_short | Initiation of ballooning instability in the near-Earth plasma sheet prior to the 23 March 2007 THEMIS substorm expansion onset |
| title_sort | initiation of ballooning instability in the near earth plasma sheet prior to the 23 march 2007 themis substorm expansion onset |
| url | https://www.ann-geophys.net/27/1129/2009/angeo-27-1129-2009.pdf |
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