Affiliation:
1. Harbin Institute of Technology
Abstract
Abstract
The magnetopause plays a pivotal role in the coupling between solar wind and the magnetosphere. By analysing magnetopause crossing events by Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, we reveal a local non-neutrality of electric charges and the associated electric field in the magnetopause boundary layer. There are two types of electric structures. In one group that typically occurs on the dusk-side, the electric field is directed towards the Earth. In the other structure that occurs on the whole dayside, the field is directed away from the Earth. The spatial extent of this electric non-neutrality spans approximately 600 km, which is at the scale of ion gyrational motion. These findings provide valuable insights into the fine structures of the magnetopause and the coupling between solar wind and the magnetosphere.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC
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