Ion dynamics associated with substorm dipolarization fronts

We report where and how ions are accelerated in the proximity of earthward propagating dipolarization fronts (DFs) in the magnetotail during a magnetospheric substorm on February 15, 2008. Two DFs were observed by multiple THEMIS spacecraft in the near-Earth magnetotail (∼−10 Re). We studied the ion dynamics associated with these DFs by comparing observed results with large scale kinetic (LSK) simulation results. The LSK simulation reproduced the sudden ion energy flux enhancement concurrent with the arrival of the DF at the satellite locations. We found that ions can be accelerated to more than 100 keV energy at the DF. These ions were initially non-adiabatically accelerated near magnetic reconnection site and then still non-adiabatically accelerated at the DF structure.