Abstract. The Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI) can drive waves at the magnetopause. These waves can grow to form rolled-up vortices and facilitate transfer of plasma into the magnetosphere. To investigate the persistence and frequency of such waves at the magnetopause we have carried out a survey of all Double Star 1 magnetopause crossings, using a combination of ion and magnetic field measurements. Using criteria originally used in a Geotail study made by Hasegawa et al. (2006) (forthwith referred to as H2006), 17 candidate events were identified from the entire TC-1 mission (covering ∼623 orbits where the magnetopause was sampled), a majority of which were on the dayside of the terminator. The relationship between density and shear velocity was then investigated, to identify the predicted signature of a rolled up vortex from H2006 and all 17 events exhibited some level of rolled up behavior. The location of the events had a clear dawn-dusk asymmetry, with 12 (71 %) on the post noon, dusk flank suggesting preferential growth in this region.

We review the range of applications and use of the curlometer, initially developed to analyze Cluster multi‐spacecraft magnetic field data; but more recently adapted to other arrays of spacecraft flying in formation, such as MMS small‐scale, 4‐spacecraft configurations; THEMIS close constellations of 3–5 spacecraft, and Swarm 2–3 spacecraft configurations. Although magnetic gradients require knowledge of spacecraft separations and the magnetic field, the structure of the electric current density (for example, its relative spatial scale), and any temporal evolution, limits measurement accuracy. Nevertheless, in many magnetospheric regions the curlometer is reliable (within certain limits), particularly under conditions of time stationarity, or with supporting information on morphology (for example, when the geometry of the large scale structure is expected). A number of large‐scale regions have been covered, such as: the cross‐tail current sheet, ring current, the current layer at the magnetopause and field‐aligned currents. Transient and smaller scale current structures (e.g., reconnected flux tube or dipolarisation fronts) and energy transfer processes. The method is able to provide estimates of single components of the vector current density, even if there are only two or three satellites flying in formation, within the current region, as can be the case when there is a highly irregular spacecraft configuration. The computation of magnetic field gradients and topology in general includes magnetic rotation analysis and various least squares approaches, as well as the curlometer, and indeed the added inclusion of plasma measurements and the extension to larger arrays of spacecraft have recently been considered.

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Theory predicts that the first adiabatic invariant of a charged particle may be violated in a region of highly curved field lines, leading to significant pitch angle scattering for particles whose gyroradius are comparable to the radius of the magnetic field line curvature. This scattering generates more isotropic particle distribution functions, with important impacts on the presence or absence of plasma instabilities. Using magnetic curvature analysis based on multipoint Cluster spacecraft observations, we present the first investigation of magnetic curvature in the vicinity of an ion diffusion region where reconnected field lines are highly curved. Electrons at energies > 8 keV show a clear pitch angle ordering between bidirectional and trapped distribution in surrounding regions, while we show that in the more central part of the ion diffusion region electrons above such energies become isotropic. By contrast, colder electrons (~1 keV) retain their bidirectional character throughout the diffusion regions. The calculated adiabatic parameter K2 for these electrons is in agreement with theory. This study provides the first observational evidence for particle pitch angle scattering due to magnetic field lines with well characterized curvature in a space plasma.