Understanding Magnetotail Dynamics Through Comparison of Simulated and Physical Energetic Neutral Atom Measurements

The transition region from the stretched magnetotail to the more dipolar inner magnetosphere is a critical location for magnetospheric dynamics. Mesoscale plasma sheet features in this region, identified as bursty bulk flows, dipolarizing flux bundles, or entropy-depleted bubbles, play a significant role in the energy and particle transport during active intervals, including geomagnetic storms and substorms. Our understanding of this region is limited by in situ measurements by single or a few in situ satellites from missions such as THEMIS, Van Allen Probes, and MMS. Energetic neutral atom (ENA) imaging can provide a critical global view of this region.