On the multispacecraft determination of periodic surface wave phase speeds and wavelengths
Abstract
Observations of surface waves on the magnetopause indicate a wide range of phase velocities and wavelengths. Their multispacecraft analysis allows a more precise determination of wave characteristics than ever before and reveal shortcomings of approximations to the phase speed that take a predetermined fraction of the magnetosheath speed or the average flow velocity in the boundary layer. We show that time lags between two or more spacecraft can give a qualitative upper estimate, and we confirm the unreliability of flow approximations often used by analyzing a few cases. Using two-point distant magnetic field observations and spectral analysis of the tailward magnetic field component, we propose an alternative method to estimate the wavelength and phase speed at a single spacecraft from a statistical fit to the data at the other site.
Publication Date
9-2-2010
Journal Title
JGR: Space Physics
Publisher
AGU
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Foullon, C.; Farrugia, C. J.; Fazakerley, A. N.; Owen, C. J.; Gratton, F. T.; Torbert, R. B. (2010). On the multispacecraft determination of periodic surface wave phase speeds and wavelengths, JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS. Vol. 115, DOI: 10.1029/2009JA015189