Plasma sheet behavior during substorms

摘要: Auroral or magnetic substorms are periods of enhanced auroral and geomagnetic activity lasting one to a few hours that signify increased dissipation energy from the magnetosphere earth. Data acquired during past decade satellites in near-earth sector magnetotail have suggested substorm part plasma sheet is severed earth by reconnection, forming plasmoid, i.e., body closed loops, flows out tail into solar wind, thus returning earlier been accumulated wind. Very recently this picture has dramatically confirmed observations, with ISEE 3 spacecraft 220 R/sub E/ earth, plasmoids passing location clear delayed response substorms. It now appears plasmoid release fundamental process whereby gives up excess stored plasma, much like comets seen do, phenomena at by-product process.