T. Nagai, M. Fujimoto, R. Nakamura, Y. Saito, T. Mukai, T. Yamamoto, A. Nishida, S. Kokubun, G. D. Reeves, and R. P. Lepping

Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan

Geotail observed a fast tailward flow burst (a speed of >600 km/s) with southward B_Z in the Earth's magnetotail at a radial distance of 15.5 R_E on March 30, 1995. Ions in this burst consisted of a single-component plasma showing convection motion, and these ions were confined near the neutral sheet. This flow burst was likely associated with a pseudo-breakup rather than a major substorm onset. In this event, magnetic reconnection appeared to take place only for the field lines near the neutral sheet. The magnetic reconnection was quenched soon and resulted in a short-lived tailward flow burst embedded in the plasma sheet.

J. Geophys. Res., Vol. 103, No. A10, 23,543-23,550, 1998