Longitudinal Structure of Oxygen Torus in the Inner Magnetosphere: Simultaneous Observations by Arase and Van Allen Probe A

Academic Article

Abstract

  • AbstractSimultaneous observations of the magnetic field and plasma waves made by the Arase and Van Allen Probe A satellites at different magnetic local time (MLT) enable us to deduce the longitudinal structure of an oxygen torus for the first time. During 04:00–07:10 UT on 24 April 2017, Arase flew from L = 6.2 to 2.0 in the morning sector and detected an enhancement of the average plasma mass up to ~3.5 amu around L = 4.9–5.2 and MLT = 5.0 hr, implying that the plasma consists of approximately 15% O+ ions. Probe A moved outbound from L = 2.0 to 6.2 in the afternoon sector during 04:10–07:30 UT and observed no clear enhancements in the average plasma mass. For this event, the O+ density enhancement in the inner magnetosphere (i.e., oxygen torus) does not extend over all MLT but is skewed toward the dawn, being described more precisely as a crescent‐shaped torus or a pinched torus.
  • Authors

  • Nose, M
  • Matsuoka, A
  • Kumamoto, A
  • Kasahara, Y
  • Goldstein, J
  • Teramoto, M
  • Tsuchiya, F
  • Matsuda, S
  • Shoji, M
  • Imajo, S
  • Oimatsu, S
  • Yamamoto, K
  • Obana, Y
  • Nomura, R
  • Fujimoto, A
  • Shinohara, I
  • Miyoshi, Y
  • Kurth, WS
  • Kletzing, CA
  • Smith, Charles
  • MacDowall, RJ
  • Status

    Publication Date

  • October 16, 2018
  • Published In

    Digital Object Identifier (doi)

    Start Page

  • 10177
  • End Page

  • 10184
  • Volume

  • 45
  • Issue

  • 19