MMS observations of electron‐scale filamentary currents in the reconnection exhaust and near the X line
Abstract We report Magnetospheric Multiscale observations of macroscopic and electron‐scale current layers in asymmetric reconnection. By intercomparing plasma, magnetic, and electric field data at multiple crossings of a reconnecting magnetopause on 22 October 2015, when the average interspacecraft...
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| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2016-06-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069212 |
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| author | T. D. Phan J. P. Eastwood P. A. Cassak M. Øieroset J. T. Gosling D. J. Gershman F. S. Mozer M. A. Shay M. Fujimoto W. Daughton J. F. Drake J. L. Burch R. B. Torbert R. E. Ergun L. J. Chen S. Wang C. Pollock J. C. Dorelli B. Lavraud B. L. Giles T. E. Moore Y. Saito L. A. Avanov W. Paterson R. J. Strangeway C. T. Russell Y. Khotyaintsev P. A. Lindqvist M. Oka F. D. Wilder |
| author_facet | T. D. Phan J. P. Eastwood P. A. Cassak M. Øieroset J. T. Gosling D. J. Gershman F. S. Mozer M. A. Shay M. Fujimoto W. Daughton J. F. Drake J. L. Burch R. B. Torbert R. E. Ergun L. J. Chen S. Wang C. Pollock J. C. Dorelli B. Lavraud B. L. Giles T. E. Moore Y. Saito L. A. Avanov W. Paterson R. J. Strangeway C. T. Russell Y. Khotyaintsev P. A. Lindqvist M. Oka F. D. Wilder |
| author_sort | T. D. Phan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We report Magnetospheric Multiscale observations of macroscopic and electron‐scale current layers in asymmetric reconnection. By intercomparing plasma, magnetic, and electric field data at multiple crossings of a reconnecting magnetopause on 22 October 2015, when the average interspacecraft separation was ~10 km, we demonstrate that the ion and electron moments are sufficiently accurate to provide reliable current density measurements at 30 ms cadence. These measurements, which resolve current layers narrower than the interspacecraft separation, reveal electron‐scale filamentary Hall currents and electron vorticity within the reconnection exhaust far downstream of the X line and even in the magnetosheath. Slightly downstream of the X line, intense (up to 3 μA/m2) electron currents, a super‐Alfvénic outflowing electron jet, and nongyrotropic crescent shape electron distributions were observed deep inside the ion‐scale magnetopause current sheet and embedded in the ion diffusion region. These characteristics are similar to those attributed to the electron dissipation/diffusion region around the X line. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2e85f12272dd4e169e7e4f529b45db5a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-2e85f12272dd4e169e7e4f529b45db5a2025-08-20T03:10:24ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072016-06-0143126060606910.1002/2016GL069212MMS observations of electron‐scale filamentary currents in the reconnection exhaust and near the X lineT. D. Phan0J. P. Eastwood1P. A. Cassak2M. Øieroset3J. T. Gosling4D. J. Gershman5F. S. Mozer6M. A. Shay7M. Fujimoto8W. Daughton9J. F. Drake10J. L. Burch11R. B. Torbert12R. E. Ergun13L. J. Chen14S. Wang15C. Pollock16J. C. Dorelli17B. Lavraud18B. L. Giles19T. E. Moore20Y. Saito21L. A. Avanov22W. Paterson23R. J. Strangeway24C. T. Russell25Y. Khotyaintsev26P. A. Lindqvist27M. Oka28F. D. Wilder29Space Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley California USAThe Blackett Laboratory Imperial College London London UKDepartment of Physics and Astronomy West Virginia University Morgantown West Virginia USASpace Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley California USALASP University of Colorado Boulder Colorado USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USASpace Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley California USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy University of Delaware Newark Delaware USAISAS/JAXA Kanagawa JapanLos Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico USADepartment of Astronomy University of Maryland College Park Maryland USASouthwest Research Institute San Antonio Texas USASouthwest Research Institute San Antonio Texas USALASP University of Colorado Boulder Colorado USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USADepartment of Physics and the Institute for Physical Science and Technology University of Maryland College Park Maryland USADenali Scientific Healy Alaska USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USAInstitut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie Université de Toulouse Toulouse FranceNASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USAISAS/JAXA Kanagawa JapanNASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USADepartment of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences University of California Los Angeles California USADepartment of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences University of California Los Angeles California USASwedish Institute of Space Physics Uppsala SwedenRoyal Institute of Technology Stockholm SwedenSpace Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley California USALASP University of Colorado Boulder Colorado USAAbstract We report Magnetospheric Multiscale observations of macroscopic and electron‐scale current layers in asymmetric reconnection. By intercomparing plasma, magnetic, and electric field data at multiple crossings of a reconnecting magnetopause on 22 October 2015, when the average interspacecraft separation was ~10 km, we demonstrate that the ion and electron moments are sufficiently accurate to provide reliable current density measurements at 30 ms cadence. These measurements, which resolve current layers narrower than the interspacecraft separation, reveal electron‐scale filamentary Hall currents and electron vorticity within the reconnection exhaust far downstream of the X line and even in the magnetosheath. Slightly downstream of the X line, intense (up to 3 μA/m2) electron currents, a super‐Alfvénic outflowing electron jet, and nongyrotropic crescent shape electron distributions were observed deep inside the ion‐scale magnetopause current sheet and embedded in the ion diffusion region. These characteristics are similar to those attributed to the electron dissipation/diffusion region around the X line.https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069212magnetic reconnectioncurrentmagnetopause |
| spellingShingle | T. D. Phan J. P. Eastwood P. A. Cassak M. Øieroset J. T. Gosling D. J. Gershman F. S. Mozer M. A. Shay M. Fujimoto W. Daughton J. F. Drake J. L. Burch R. B. Torbert R. E. Ergun L. J. Chen S. Wang C. Pollock J. C. Dorelli B. Lavraud B. L. Giles T. E. Moore Y. Saito L. A. Avanov W. Paterson R. J. Strangeway C. T. Russell Y. Khotyaintsev P. A. Lindqvist M. Oka F. D. Wilder MMS observations of electron‐scale filamentary currents in the reconnection exhaust and near the X line Geophysical Research Letters magnetic reconnection current magnetopause |
| title | MMS observations of electron‐scale filamentary currents in the reconnection exhaust and near the X line |
| title_full | MMS observations of electron‐scale filamentary currents in the reconnection exhaust and near the X line |
| title_fullStr | MMS observations of electron‐scale filamentary currents in the reconnection exhaust and near the X line |
| title_full_unstemmed | MMS observations of electron‐scale filamentary currents in the reconnection exhaust and near the X line |
| title_short | MMS observations of electron‐scale filamentary currents in the reconnection exhaust and near the X line |
| title_sort | mms observations of electron scale filamentary currents in the reconnection exhaust and near the x line |
| topic | magnetic reconnection current magnetopause |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069212 |
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