plasma sheet
Quick Summary
The plasma sheet is a region within Earth's magnetosphere, extending from about 14 Earth radii on the nightside. It is a component of the outer magnetic field, characterized by a sheet of particles situated between two lobes of the magnetic tail. This region is crucial for understanding solar-terrestrial interactions, as it is influenced by the solar wind.12
The solar wind, a plasma of electrons and protons, interacts with Earth's magnetic field, creating the magnetosphere. Within this magnetosphere, the plasma sheet plays a role in phenomena like auroras, which occur when energetic particles from this region precipitate into Earth's atmosphere. The plasma within the magnetosphere, including the plasma sheet, is extremely hot and tenuous.21
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
geomagnetic fieldOuter magnetic field…sheet of particles called the plasma sheet. The plasma sheet has an inner boundary about 11 Re behind Earth. It also has upper and lower boundaries as shown. The projection of these boundaries onto the northern and southern portions of the atmosphere at about 67° magnetic latitude corresponds to two…
Read More…sheet of particles called the plasma sheet. The plasma sheet has an inner boundary about 11 Re behind Earth. It also has upper and lower boundaries as shown. The projection of these boundaries onto the northern and southern portions of the atmosphere at about 67° magnetic latitude corresponds to two…
Read More- geomagnetic fieldMagnetic reconnection
…particles and is called the plasma sheet. The projection of the last-closed field lines on the polar atmosphere forms the poleward boundary of the nightside auroral oval. As previously noted, a second boundary forms on the nightside of Earth as particles drift earthward under the influence of magnetospheric convection (driven…
Read More…particles and is called the plasma sheet. The projection of the last-closed field lines on the polar atmosphere forms the poleward boundary of the nightside auroral oval. As previously noted, a second boundary forms on the nightside of Earth as particles drift earthward under the influence of magnetospheric convection (driven…
Read More