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<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">ANGEO</journal-id>
<journal-title-group>
<journal-title>Annales Geophysicae</journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher">ANGEO</abbrev-journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="nlm-ta">Ann. Geophys.</abbrev-journal-title>
</journal-title-group>
<issn pub-type="epub">1432-0576</issn>
<publisher><publisher-name>Copernicus Publications</publisher-name>
<publisher-loc>Göttingen, Germany</publisher-loc>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.5194/angeo-29-1411-2011</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title>Virtual satellite observations of plasmoids generated by fast reconnection in the geomagnetic tail</article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Ugai</surname>
<given-names>M.</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
</contrib-group><aff id="aff1">
<label>1</label>
<addr-line>Research Center for Space and Cosmic Evolution, Ehime University, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan</addr-line>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>23</day>
<month>08</month>
<year>2011</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>29</volume>
<issue>8</issue>
<fpage>1411</fpage>
<lpage>1422</lpage>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement>Copyright: &#x000a9; 2011 M. Ugai</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2011</copyright-year>
<license license-type="open-access">
<license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"  xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/</ext-link></license-p>
</license>
</permissions>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://angeo.copernicus.org/articles/29/1411/2011/angeo-29-1411-2011.html">This article is available from https://angeo.copernicus.org/articles/29/1411/2011/angeo-29-1411-2011.html</self-uri>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://angeo.copernicus.org/articles/29/1411/2011/angeo-29-1411-2011.pdf">The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://angeo.copernicus.org/articles/29/1411/2011/angeo-29-1411-2011.pdf</self-uri>
<abstract>
<p>The present paper studies fundamental
features of plasmoid propagation by virtual satellite
observations in the
simulation box. The plasmoid domain is divided into the
plasmoid reconnection region P, where magnetized
plasmas with reconnected field lines, heated by dissipation
mechanisms of fast reconnection, are
accumulated, and the plasmoid core
region C, where magnetized plasmas with
sheared field lines, initially embedded in the current
sheet, is adiabatically compressed. When the virtual
satellite is located in a position through which the
plasmoid core region passes, it detects
distinct changes in quantities at the interface between
the regions P and C, where the
north-south field component &lt;I&gt;B&lt;/I&gt;&lt;sub&gt;z&lt;/sub&gt; has the
bipolar profile and the sheared field component &lt;I&gt;B&lt;/I&gt;&lt;sub&gt;y&lt;/sub&gt;
has the peak value. The observed magnetic field profile is,
both quantitatively and qualitatively, in good agreement
with the standard one detected by actual satellite
observations, although when the satellite location is very
close to the &lt;I&gt;X&lt;/I&gt; neutral line, where reconnection occurs,
the &lt;I&gt;B&lt;/I&gt;&lt;sub&gt;z&lt;/sub&gt; field profile becomes dipolarization-like
rather than bipolar. If the satellite detects
only the plasmoid region P
outside region C, the standard magnetic
field profile becomes obscure even if notable plasmoid
signatures, such as enhanced plasma temperature and
plasma flow, are observed. Unlike the traditional flux
rope model based on multiple reconnections, it is
demonstrated that the standard magnetic field profile,
observed for plasmoids propagating in the geomagnetic
tail, is the direct outcome of the single fast
reconnection evolution.</p>
</abstract>
<counts><page-count count="12"/></counts>
</article-meta>
</front>
<body/>
<back>
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