Asymmetric Ionospheric Outflow Observed At The Dayside Magnetopause

An important source of the terrestrial magnetospheric plasma is the Earth's ionospheric outflows from the high-latitude regions of both hemispheres. The ionospheric ion outflows have rarely been observed at the dayside magnetopause. We report Cluster observations of the ionospheric ion outflows observed at the dayside magnetopause. The low-energy (up to 1.5 keV) electrons are detected with bidirectional pitch angle distributions indicating that the magnetic field lines are closed. The unidirectional cold ions (< 200 eV) are observed in the magnetosphere by both C1 and C3. The pitch angle distributions (0 degrees-75 degrees) of the cold ions (< 1 keV) at the dayside magnetopause indicate that these cold ions are the ionospheric outflows coming only from the Southern Hemisphere. The cold ions (< 200 eV) fluxes are modulated by the ULF wave electric field. Two different species (possibly H+ and He+) are observed in the magnetosphere. Our results suggest that the ionospheric outflows can directly reach the dayside magnetopause region and may participate in the reconnection process.