Localized convection flows and field-aligned current generation in a kinetic model of the near-Earth plasma sheet

Three-dimensional (3-D) particle simulations are used to determine the characteristic field-aligned currents produced by an interchange-driven, localized plasma jet impinging on the near-Earth plasma sheet. The diversion of the plasma flow produces a region 2 sense current which enhances the cross-tail current, while the primary flow provides a current to the ionosphere whose signature is consistent with the auroral streamers. The high beta interchange mode and localized flows resulting from a tailward gradient in the equatorial magnetic field provide a physical realization of the plasma bubble model of plasma sheet convection.