Study on the current structure of dipolarization fronts using MMS data

Abstract:

Understanding the current structure around Dipolarization fronts (DFs), magnetotail structures with sharp enhancements of the north magnetic , is important for study the energy dispassion and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling during active times of the Earth’s magnetosphere. Using the tail season data from Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we study the dipolarization front current sheet (DFCS) and DFs’s characteristic such as velocity and thickness at the inner magnetotail regions. From the magnetic field observations in 2015, it is feasible to get currents from Ampere’s law because of the shape of the tetrahedron, while we use the curlometer technique to calculate the current density and distribution around DF with the magnetic data of 2016. With this study, we will be able to shred more lights on the complex current system around DFs and their association with Substorm Current Wedge (SCW) formation.