Plasmas in the near-Earth magnetotail lobes: Properties and sources

The magnetotail lobes are two vast regions between the plasma sheet (PS) and the magnetotail boundary layers at the magnetopause, where the plasma has very low temperature and densities. The open magnetic field lines of the lobes directly couple the ionospheric polar caps with the solar wind (SW) through the magnetosheath. The survey of 576 h INTERBALL-1 measurements in the near (XGSM>−27RE) lobes in October–November 1997 shows that they are populated with plasmas of various origin and properties. Presented and discussed in details are four cases of lobe measurements under different geomagnetic conditions. Discrete plasma structures encountered in the lobes could originate from the PS, from the magnetosheath or the mantle. A ubiquitous picture in the lobes is the registration of ‘clouds’ of anisotropic electrons with energies up to 300–500 eV, with no accompanying ions. The electron distributions are highly variable and complex, with different degree of anisotropy. The earthward flowing electrons originate in the SW, the anisotropy of the electron fluxes reflects the anisotropy of the SW electrons. In some cases the tailward electrons are not only mirrored earthward fluxes but an additional source earthward of the observations is present. The positive spacecraft potential plays a substantial role in modifying the observed electron distributions.