IMP-8 observations of traveling compression regions: New evidence for near-Earth plasmoids and neutral lines
J. A. Slavin, R. P. Lepping, D. N. Baker
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
Abstract:
An examination of IMP-8 tail lobe magnetic field measurements has been conducted to determine whether the traveling compression region (TCR) phenomena detected by ISEE-3 in the distant geotail, and believed to be caused by tailward moving plasmoids, are present closer to the Earth. The study produced 16 examples of TCRs at distances of X = -31 to -37 RE. For two events considered in detail TCRs were observed in close association with substorm growth phase signatures in the lobes. The lengths of these TCRs are estimated to be 8-12 RE. It is our conclusion that the IMP-8 TCR observations provide new evidence that small plasmoids and, hence, multiple reconnection neutral lines can sometimes exist earthward of X = -35 RE.
Geophys. Res. Lett., 17, No. 7, 913-916, June 1990