Propagation properties of foreshock cavitons: Cluster observations

Foreshock cavitons are transient phenomena observed in the terrestrial foreshock region. They are characterized by a simultaneous depression of magnetic field magnitude and plasma density, which are bounded with enhancements of these two parameters and surrounded by ultralow frequency(ULF) waves. Previous studies focused on the interplanetary magnetic field(IMF) conditions, solar wind(SW) conditions, and the growth of the foreshock waves related to the generation of foreshock cavitons. Previously, a multipoint spacecraft analysis method using Cluster data was applied to analyze only two foreshock cavitons, and this method did not consider uncertainties. In this study, multipoint spacecraft analysis methods, including the timing method, the minimum directional derivative(MDD) method, and the spatiotemporal difference(STD) method are applied to determine the velocity in both spacecraft and solar wind frames. The propagation properties show good agreement with previous results from simulations and observations that most cavitons move sunward in the solar wind frame, with the velocities larger than the Alfvén speed. The propagation properties of foreshock cavitons support the formation mechanism of cavitons in previous simulations, which suggested that cavitons are formed due to the nonlinear evolution of compressive ULF waves. We find that there is clear decreasing trend between the size of cavitons and their velocity in the solar wind frame. In addition, the timing method considering errors has been applied to study the evolution properties by comparing the velocities with errors of the leading and trailing edges, and we identify three stable cavitons and one contracting caviton, which has not been studied before.Most cavitons should remain stable when they travel toward the Earth's bow shock. The relationship between the size of foreshock cavitons and their distance from the bow shock is also discussed.     

Ultra low frequency waves observed by Double Star TC-1 in the plasmasphere boundary layer

The characteristic and properties of ULF waves in the plasmasphere boundary layer during two very quiet periods are present. The ULF waves were detected by Double Star TC-1 when the spacecraft passed through the plasmasphere in an outbound and inbound trajectories, respectively. A clear association between the ULF waves and periodic variations of energetic ions fluxes was observed. The observations showed that the wave frequency was higher inside the plasmasphere than outside. The mechanism generating these ULF waves and possible diagnosing of the “classical plasmapause” location with the ULF wave were discussed. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40504017, 40636031)     

附设黏滞阻尼器的传统风格建筑混凝土梁-柱节点 动力循环加载性能分析

进行了4个附设黏滞阻尼器及2个未附设黏滞阻尼器的传统风格建筑混凝土梁-柱节点在动力循环荷载作用下的试验研究,获得其荷载-位移滞回曲线,分析其延性、耗能能力等力学性能。结果表明：附设黏滞阻尼器的传统风格建筑混凝土梁-柱节点试件滞回曲线饱满,延性及耗能性能良好。基于试验研究结果,采用ABAQUS软件建立三维有限元模型,对试件进行数值模拟分析,研究附设黏滞阻尼器的传统风格建筑混凝土梁-柱节点的承载力、延性等性能;非线性模拟分析得出的结果与试验实测结果吻合较好。在此基础上对该类构件进行参数分析,研究轴压比、混凝土强度、方钢管屈服强度、阻尼器关键参数等对其力学性能影响。结果表明：随混凝土强度、方钢管屈服强度、阻尼系数提高,试件承载能力逐渐增大;随轴压比及混凝土强度增大,试件的承载力虽有提高,但试件延性逐渐降低;提高方钢管屈服强度,试件延性增大;随着阻尼指数的增大,试件的承载力和位移延性呈现出先上升后下降的特征。表明要提高附设黏滞阻尼器试件的抗震性能,应合理选择黏滞阻尼器的性能参数。     

Coordinated Cluster/Double Star observations of dayside flux transfer events on 6 April 2004

With the Double Star Program TC1 in the equatorial orbit and Cluster tetrahedron in the high latitude polar orbit, a conjunct observation of FTEs on the dayside magnetopause (MP) on April 6, 2004 is presented in this study. The FTEs observed by TC1 at low latitudes are characterized to be generated in the subsolar region and the obtained flux tube axes orientate along the predicted low latitude component magnetic reconnection X-line, indicating that these FTEs were more likely to be generated through multiple X-line reconnection or single X-line bursty reconnection. During the same period, Cluster also encountered a series of magnetosheath FTEs with their axes pointing roughly along the interplanetary magnetic field. At last, the global FTE configuration is obtained from observations in different locations, which is in good agreement with the “elbow shape” model. Supported by the NSFC (Grant No. 40731056) and the Chinese Key Research Project (Grant No. 2006CB806300)     

Mercury’s ring current and Mercury’s magnetic storms

Science China Technological Sciences -     

Analysis of magnetotail flux rope events by ARTEMIS observations

Three earthward flowing magnetic flux ropes observed in the duskside plasma sheet at geocentric solar magnetospheric coordinate X~–55 Re by P1 and P2 of acceleration,reconnection,turbulence and electrodynamics of moon’s interaction with the sun mission during 13:00–15:00 UT on July 3,2012,were studied.The morphologies of the flux ropes were studied in detail based on Grad-Shfranov reconstruction method and electronic pitch angle distribution data.It is found that(1)the flux rope cross-sectional dimensions are 1.0 Re×0.78 Re,1.3 Re×0.78 Re,and 2.5 Re×1.25 Re,respectively.The magnetic field lines were asymmetric about the center with field line compression on both sides of the current sheet at the leading region;(2)the electron energy flux data presented asymmetry with larger electron flux and lower temperature in the precursor region.The flux ropes were blocked by the resistance of compressed particle density in the front central plasma sheet and the enhanced magnetic field on its sides;and(3)it is found that the flux rope has a layered structure.From inside out,event 1 can be divided into three regions,namely electronic depletion core region,closed field line region,and the caudal area possible with fields connected with the ionosphere.It suggests that the flux ropes cannot merge with the tail magnetic field lines near the lunar orbit.Especially,the flux rope asymmetrical shape reflects the different reconnection processes that caused it on both sides of the magnetic structure.The events shown in this paper support the multiple X-line magnetic reconnection model for flux ropes with in situ observations.     

Statistical study of magnetotail flux ropes near the lunar orbit

Flux-rope/TCR events near the magnetotail lunar orbit(-67R_E GSM X* -39RE) were studied using magnetic-field and plasma data measured by THEMIS B and C between January 2011 and March 2012. The aberrant coordinate GSM*, where the X* axis is rotated 4° relative to GSM-X, was used to count the occurrence rate. The number ratio of earthward to tailward events was about 3:5. Moreover, the event occurrence rate distribution showed a clear dawn-dusk asymmetry distribution, with dusk-side events accounting for 57.98%. A superposed epoch analysis of the flux-rope events showed that earthward events had a shorter duration in the leading than in the trailing part. Earthward events also displayed a lower temperature and a lower flow speed than tailward events. We studied the relationship between the event occurrence rate and geomagnetic activity level even further. The occurrence rate of tailward flux-rope/TCR events increases with increasing AE-index, whereas earthward events occur mainly in the relatively quiet period of geomagnetic activity(AE ~ 100–300 n T). Flux-rope/TCR events identified within a 10 mm time frame were treated as belonging to a single reconnection event. By comparing the occurrence rates of earthward and tailward events along X*, we estimated the most likely location of the near-Earth reconnection site as X* = -36R_E.     

Multi-spacecraft observations of ULF waves during the recovery phase of magnetic storm on October 30, 2003

Based on observations obtained by Cluster C1, GOES 10, 12, and Polar, the global ULF wave properties are studied during the recovery phase of a very intense magnetic storm-Halloween storm (October 31, 2003, 21:00–23:00 UT). The results indicate that the ULF waves’ properties observed by different satellites, such as amplitude, period, etc. show large variations. This can be interpreted as that Field Line Resonance (FLR) might take place in the region where Cluster C1 passed. The compressional wave of the cavity mode coupled with FLR’s shear Alfven wave and fed energy to the latter, forming a large-amplitude toroidal mode. From the point of period, Cluster C1 observed the shortest period, GOES 10, 12 observed the middle, while Polar observed the longest. The wave period of toroidal mode observed by Cluster C1 kept almost unchanging when Cluster C1 passed L range from 11.7 to 5.3. Using the Squared Wavelet Coherence analysis method, we estimated that the FLR region in the dayside magnetosphere could expand to at least 4 local time widths. The toroidal mode observed by Polar was a standing wave, while the poloidal mode was a propagating wave, the observation results could be well explained by the waveguide mode theory. Since the solarwind speed V _x was −800 km/s and the dynamic pressure varied little, we speculated that the source of the ULF wave was the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at the magnetopause triggered by high speed solarwind. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos. 40425004, 40528005, 40390152) and the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB806305)