Comparison of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves observed simultaneously at the dawn and dusk flanks of the Earth's magnetopause

Across the magnetopause, the velocity difference between the magnetospheric plasma and the shocked plasma of the solar wind gives rise to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. This instability can develop into large-scale surface waves and vortices at the magnetopause, causing the different plasma regions to mix, which plays an important role in the transfer of energy across the magnetopause. We know from spacecraft observations and simulations that the way Kelvin-Helmholtz waves grow and evolve can be different at dawn and dusk. However, very few studies have directly observed this phenomenon on both flanks of the magnetopause simultaneously. By combining measurements from the THEMIS and Cluster missions, we can report here on an event where such a simultaneous observation of the Kelvin-Helmholtz waves is possible.
    
For this event, we investigate and compare the typical wave parameters and in particular the difference in plasma mixing on the two flanks. The results presented here may help to improve our understanding of the energy transport during Kelvin-Helmholtz intervals, and may also provide new insights into the proposed dawn-dusk asymmetry of these waves.