MHD waves in the geomagnetic tail: a review

This article presents the review of experimental and theoretical studies on ultra-low-frequency MHD oscillations of the geomagnetic tail. We consider the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at the magnetopause, oscillations with a discrete spectrum in the “magic frequencies” range, the ballooning instability of coupled Alfvén and slow magnetosonic waves, and “flapping” oscillations of the current sheet of the geomagnetic tail. Over the last decade, observations from THEMIS, CLUSTER and Double Star satellites have been of great importance for experimental studies. The use of several spacecraft allows us to study the structure of MHD oscillations with high spatial resolution. Due to this, we can make a detailed comparison between theoretical results and those obtained from multi-spacecraft studies. To make such comparisons in theoretical studies, in turn, we have to use the numerical models closest to the real magnetosphere.