Identifying Signatures of Plasma Waves and Reconnection Associated with Kelvin-Helmholtz Activity

<p>The magnetopause marks the boundary between the shocked solar wind and magnetospheric plasma. Understanding the dynamics of the plasma processes at the magnetopause boundary is crucial to the study of plasma transport into the magnetosphere. Previous studies have shown that there exists a temperature asymmetry in the plasma sheet. During northward IMF, the cold component ions are 30-40% hotter in the dawn flank plasma sheet compared to the dusk flank. However, the mechanisms responsible are still not entirely clear. Recent work has shown that reconnection in Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices can transport plasma into the magnetosphere. Previous studies have also shown that mode conversion at the magnetopause can generate kinetic Alfvén wave (KAW) activity. Both magnetic reconnection and plasma wave activity can heat plasma. In this thesis we look for new cases of Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI) from Cluster spacecraft data and search for signatures of associated magnetic reconnection and plasma wave activity.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Engineering Physics

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - Open Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physical Sciences

Year

2012

Author dc:creator

• Moore, Thomas Wesley

• plasma waves
• Kelvin-Helmholtz
• Atmospheric Sciences
• Plasma and Beam Physics

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.erau.edu/edt/107

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.erau.edu:edt-1106