Abstract

The concept of the formation of the turbulent wake under the obstacle gives the possibility to explain many features of the plasma dynamics in the magnetosphere of the Earth. The formation of the plasma sheet and tail lobes in accordance with this concept is explained as the result of the interactions of large-scale (the dawn–dusk electric field) and medium-scale modes of magnetospheric turbulence. The application of the developed approach to the problem of the boundary layer formation gives the possibility to explain the low latitude boundary layer (LLBL) thickness during southward and northward interplanetary magnetic field orientations and the dawn–dusk LLBL asymmetry. Theory predictions are compared with the results of experimental observations.