THE DISTRIBUTION OF RECONNECTION GEOMETRY IN FLUX-TRANSFER EVENTS USING ENERGETIC ION, PLASMA AND MAGNETIC DATA

A survey of the locations of flux transfer events at the dayside magnetopause has been undertaken with emphasis on the direction of the energetic ion anisotropy along the magnetic field. The instrument used is the medium energy particle spectrometer on board ISEE 2. Magnetic data from the flux gate magnetometer and plasma data from the fast plasma experiment have also been studied. The magnetic signature can be used to decide the direction of motion of the event with respect to the ambient field, while the change in plasma bulk velocity allows one to estimate the direction of magnetic tension in the reconnected field line.