The flow configuration of protons and alpha particles in the Earth's subsolar magnetosheath.

摘要

Previous theoretical work on the flow configuration of the shocked solar wind in the subsolar magnetosheath has predicted that the bulk flow has either a stagnation point or a stagnation line configuration. Experimental observations with ISEE 1 have hinted that the flow has a stagnation point, but have not been conclusive. The present study, using data from the AMPTE/CCE spacecraft, attempts to determine experimentally whether the magnetosheath bulk flow has a stagnation point or a stagnation line configuration. The AMPTE/CCE spacecraft has an equatorial orbit with an apogee of 8.8 R