Balikhin, M A, Sagdeev, R Z, Walker, S N, Pokhotelov, O A, Sibeck, D G, Beloff, N and Dudnikova, G (2009) THEMIS observation of mirror structures: Magnetic holes and instability threshold. Geophysical Research Letters, 36 (3). L03105. ISSN 1944-8007

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Abstract

Nonpropagating mirror-mode structures are commonly observed in many regions of natural plasma such as solar wind, planetary magnetosheaths, in cometary plasma, Io wake, terrestrial ring current and even on the outskirts of solar system. Mirror structures are typically observed in the shape of magnetic holes or peaks. Fast survey mode plasma data from the THEMIS satellites are used to solve the puzzle of how mirror structures in the form of dips can be observed in the regions of mirror stable plasma. THEMIS data also show that for mirror structures with spatial scales that considerably exceed ion Larmor radius the perpendicular temperature anticorrelates with the strength of the magnetic field. This contradiction with the conservation of adiabatic invariants is explained by the role of trapped particles. Citation: Balikhin, M. A., R. Z. Sagdeev, S. N. Walker, O. A. Pokhotelov, D. G. Sibeck, N. Beloff, and G. Dudnikova (2009), THEMIS observations of mirror structures: Magnetic holes and instability threshold, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L03105, doi:10.1029/ 2008GL036923.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	<27>An interdisciplinary collaboration between a computer scientist, particle physicists and space scientists. The computer scientist (Beloff) developed the simulation algorithm, which allowed a comparison of in-situ THEMIS observation with theoretically derived values. The findings of this paper had a major influence on the field of study and led to new collaboration between Dr. Beloff and leading scientists in the field including D. Sibeck (GSFC-NASA) and R. Sagdeev (Univ. of Maryland), as well as to further developments published later in the same journal (vol 37, L05104). Geophysical Research Letters is a leading international journal in this area.
Schools and Departments:	School of Engineering and Informatics > Informatics
Depositing User:	Natalia Beloff
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2012 18:20
Last Modified:	02 Jul 2019 21:07
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/15833

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