Putting MMS Observations of the Storm-time Geomagnetic Cusp into Global Magnetospheric Context Using the HSO
Presentation Type
Talk
Presenter Format
In Person Meeting Talk
Topic
System Science
Start Date
12-5-2022 11:45 AM
Abstract
During a geomagnetic storm around the time of the peak ring current, MMS encountered the southern cusp and magnetopause boundary. The high resolution MMS observations gathered in a period of enhanced solar wind mass and energy transport into the magnetosphere provide an unprecedented opportunity to characterize the storm-time cusp and magnetopause. Particularly, the electron pitch angle distributions reveal the motion of the open field line boundary sweeping across MMS. Local measurements inside the cusp provide one key piece of a complete picture of the magnetosphere during a magnetic storm. Other spacecraft, such as THEMIS and Geotail, also make contributions to this picture, and global simulations can help to fill in the gaps where observations are not available. Using a combination of spacecraft observations and global MHD simulations, we characterize the cusp and the magnetosphere. This synergy of multi-spacecraft observations and simulation comparison can help piece together a global understanding of the configuration of the magnetosphere during storm-time.
Putting MMS Observations of the Storm-time Geomagnetic Cusp into Global Magnetospheric Context Using the HSO
During a geomagnetic storm around the time of the peak ring current, MMS encountered the southern cusp and magnetopause boundary. The high resolution MMS observations gathered in a period of enhanced solar wind mass and energy transport into the magnetosphere provide an unprecedented opportunity to characterize the storm-time cusp and magnetopause. Particularly, the electron pitch angle distributions reveal the motion of the open field line boundary sweeping across MMS. Local measurements inside the cusp provide one key piece of a complete picture of the magnetosphere during a magnetic storm. Other spacecraft, such as THEMIS and Geotail, also make contributions to this picture, and global simulations can help to fill in the gaps where observations are not available. Using a combination of spacecraft observations and global MHD simulations, we characterize the cusp and the magnetosphere. This synergy of multi-spacecraft observations and simulation comparison can help piece together a global understanding of the configuration of the magnetosphere during storm-time.
