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The magnetic field line configuration in the geomagnetic tail near 60 earth radii is examined on the basis of nearly 3 years of magnetometer data from the lunar-orbiting Explorer 35 satellite. The magnetotail field line characteristics inside the plasma sheet and in the high-latitude tail, i.e., outside the plasma sheet, are separately examined. In the high-latitude tail the magnetic field lines systematically diverge in both longitudinal (east-west) and latitudinal (north-south) directions; the divergence angle between field lines near the dusk flank and those near the dawn flank is about 14 deg, but the divergence along the Z direction is only about 8 deg. The degree of divergence is found to be greater in the evening side than in the morning side and greater in the northern tail than in the southern tail. Inside the plasma sheet the field lines deviate by about 19 deg from the sun-earth line, and the spatial distribution of the field line deviation does not have any systematic tendency.

Ten weeks of simultaneous fine time resolution data on the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), the solar wind parameters observed by the Explorer 33 and Vela 3 satellites, the magnetic field, and the particle fluxes in the magnetotail from the Imp 3 satellite are examined together with auroral zone magnetograms monitoring substorm activity to study the magnetotail variations associated with the latitudinal changes of the IMF. It is found that the magnetotail magnetic field magnitude often increases when the north-south component of the IMF is southward; this increment is generally observed throughout the entire high-latitude tail (outside the plasma sheet). The increment is about 10% of the background field, and it increases to 20% or higher when the north-south component of the IMF increases from the usual 2 or 3 gamma to 7 or 8 gamma.

Protons of 30 to 100 keV are found upstream from the bow shock whenever interplanetary magnetic fields connect the spacecraft and bow shock. The protons do not appear upstream of a boundary determined by the solar wind speed (the speed at which the interplanetary field is being convected) and an effective upstreaming velocity of 2.5 to 3 times the solar wind speed along the field lines. It is believed that (1) the lower-energy (3-4 keV) protons accelerated and reflected by the bow shock and (2) the Alfven waves observed upstream are in some way responsible for the origin of the 30- to 100-keV protons in very large regions upstream from the bow shock.

Use of ground-based ionosonde records from midlatitude stations during winter nights to study vertical motions of the F2 layer associated with magnetospheric substorms. The results show that during substorms the F2 layer is lifted upward in the premidnight sector and pushed downward in the postmidnight sector. These motions are interpreted in terms of E x B drifts, the electric field being eastward on the eveningside and westward on the morningside. The results emphasize the importance of substorm effects on the midlatitude F region and the potential of ground-based hf sounding techniques in studying magnetospheric substorms.

Study of variations of the magnetic field and plasma sheet in the distant magnetotail (20 to 40 earth radii) during magnetospheric substorms on the basis of the Imp 3 magnetic-field and particle data. Depending on the locations of the satellite with respect to the boundary of the plasma sheet, the variations differ greatly. However, the present results and the results of other workers give a clear indication of an increase of the magnitude of the field outside the plasma sheet and of the simultaneous ?thinning' of the plasma sheet during an early phase of substorms. At about the maximum epoch or during the recovery phase of substorms, the plasma sheet expands and appears to be inflated to at least the presubstorm level. Furthermore, a large excessive flux of the magnetic (approximately equal to Z component) field, as compared with the flux of the original dipole field, appears across the neutral sheet.

Magnetospheric observations by Imp 3 satellite of energetic electron and magnetotail field variations near neutral sheet as function of substorm time

Energetic electrons distribution in magnetotail plasma sheet from Explorer 35 satellite observation data

Energetic electrons in magnetospheric tail plasma sheet, investigating flux time profiles and correlation with local magnetic fields from Imp 3 satellite observation data

Magnetotail energetic electron event simultaneous observations by Vela 3A and Imp 3 satellites, evaluating plasma sheet boundary motion hypotheses

Polar substorm activity associated with magnetopause position variation, using Imp 2 satellite observations

Energetic electron layer near magnetopause attributed to geomagnetic activity from satellite observations of fluxes

Three dimensional current systems constructed semiquantitatively for polar magnetic substorms based on magnetic field distribution on earth surface

Nonuniform ring current belt growth, discussing associated magnetospheric substorms

Magnetic disturbance vector distribution during polar magnetic substorm

Polar magnetic substorms in conjugate areas, discussing positive bays magnitude

Negative bays caused by growth of asymmetric storm time radiation belt, noting relation between auroral substorm, polar magnetic substorm and ring current

Growth and decay of geomagnetic storms of April 17-18, 1965 studied using data from 88 ground stations, Explorer XXVI and Vela satellites

Evening sector polar magnetic substorm disturbance field morphology in transition region

Evening auroral activity characterized by westward traveling surges occurring not within auroral zone center

Intense negative bays occurring in auroral zone in early evening hours explained by westward extension of polar electrojet

Abnormally early eastward auroral motion appearance in evening and associated magnetospheric plasma shell motion

Equatorward motions of auroras

Patches and irregular bands and eastward motions in morning sector of auroras

Polar magnetic substorms associated with westward traveling surge

Poleward motion of auroral bands in midnight sector during early phase of auroral substorm and cause of planetary scale auroral displays

Dynamic motions of Aurora 7 towards equator

Polar electrojet causing magnetic substorms in high latitudes flows westward along closed oval curve and is connected with auroral activity and outer radiation belt

Westward traveling surge auroral substorm characteristics and geomagnetic and ionospheric effects as observed near College, Alaska

Westward traveling surge auroral substorm degeneration into loop formations as observed near College, Alaska

A cross-correlation study between magnetospheric activity (the AE index) and the southward-directed component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is made for a total of 792 hours (33 days) with a time resolution of about 5.5 min. The peak correlation tends to occur when the interplanetary data are shifted approximately 40 min later with respect to the AE index data. Cross-correlation analysis is conducted on some idealized wave forms to illustrate that this delay between southward turning of the IMF and the AE index should not be interpreted as being the duration of the growth phase.

The two-dimensional (YZ plane) spatial distribution of magnetic field magnitudes in the geomagnetic tail at the lunar distance is given in both the solar magnetospheric and the neutral-sheet coordinate systems by using three years of data from the Ames magnetometer on Explorer 35. The effect of changes in geomagnetic activity is also presented. In the magnetotail near 60 earth radii, a broad region in which the magnetic field intensity is relatively weak in comparison with that in the other region of the tail is located adjacent to the solar magnetospheric equatorial plane and the calculated neutral sheet. This depression of the field due to the diamagnetic effect of the plasma sheet is more evident during times of minimum geomagnetic activity.

A fine time-scale study of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) variations and auroral-zone magnetograms during active and moderately active days show that the time delay between the southward turning of the IMF and the first sign of a negative magnetic bay is typically less than 15 min. During the moderately active period, 88% of all substorms were associated with southward interplanetary magnetic fields. Conversely, 80% of all large southward IMF events were associated with auroral-zone negative bays; during some events, however, magnetic bays could not be found, even by using high-latitude stations. It is concluded that the main mechanism for the triggering of magnetospheric substorms is the southward turning of the IMF.

Nearly three years of Ames magnetometer data from Explorer 35 are used to establish plasma-sheet configurations in the geomagnetic tail at the lunar orbit. The plasma sheet is defined either as a region with different field orientations from normal magnetic-field directions in the tail, or as a region where the magnetic field variance is greater than elsewhere in the tail. The plasma-sheet configuration at the lunar orbit derived in this manner is found to be similar to the distribution at 18 earth radii observed by Vela satellites. The seasonal dependence and variations with geomagnetic activity are also presented.