In the

magnetosphere In astronomy and planetary science, a magnetosphere is a region of space surrounding an astronomical object in which charged particles are affected by that object's magnetic field. It is created by a celestial body with an active interior Dynamo ...

, the plasma sheet is a sheet-like region of denser (0.3-0.5 ions/cm³ versus 0.01-0.02 in the lobes) hot plasma and lower

magnetic field A magnetic field (sometimes called B-field) is a physical field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular ...

located on the magnetotail and near the equatorial plane, between the magnetosphere's north and south lobes. The origin of the plasma sheet is still a subject of discussion on magnetospheric physics but it is thought that the region plays an important role on the transport of plasma around the Earth from the magnetotail towards the Sun. The plasma sheet is closely related to the convective motion of plasma on the magnetotail occurring as a result of magnetic field reconnection.

References

Geomagnetism Planetary science Space plasmas {{astrophysics-stub