Characteristics of Energetic Electrons Near Active Magnetotail Reconnection Sites: Tracers of a Complex Magnetic Topology and Evidence of Localized Acceleration
Abstract We present detailed observations and reconstructed magnetic field topologies from a magnetic reconnection event observed directly by NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. Comparing and contrasting energy and angular distributions of >50 keV electrons observed by three MMS...
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Wiley
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090089 |
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| author | Drew L. Turner Ian J. Cohen Samuel T. Bingham Grant K. Stephens Mikhail I. Sitnov Barry H. Mauk Richard E. Denton Trevor W. Leonard Joseph F. Fennell J. Bernard Blake Roy B. Torbert James L. Burch |
| author_facet | Drew L. Turner Ian J. Cohen Samuel T. Bingham Grant K. Stephens Mikhail I. Sitnov Barry H. Mauk Richard E. Denton Trevor W. Leonard Joseph F. Fennell J. Bernard Blake Roy B. Torbert James L. Burch |
| author_sort | Drew L. Turner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We present detailed observations and reconstructed magnetic field topologies from a magnetic reconnection event observed directly by NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. Comparing and contrasting energy and angular distributions of >50 keV electrons observed by three MMS spacecraft separated by only ∼18 km revealed a combination of chaotic motion and surprisingly coherent gyrophase bunching within a few thousand kilometers of the reconnection site. Such gyrophase‐bunched electrons have not been observed previously at these energies in relation to magnetic reconnection. Results indicate that the magnetic topology around the electron diffusion region was relatively stable over several seconds (i.e., more than a thousand electron gyro‐periods), and the observed gyrophase bunching may be the highest‐energy extent of coherent gyrophase structures observed at lower‐energies closer to the reconnection site. We hypothesize that the coherent gyrophase bunching was evidence of these energetic electrons being accelerated at the reconnection site and possibly also in the outflowing exhaust jets of the active reconnection. This case study exemplifies how energetic electrons can carry coherent signals of remote magnetic topologies and processes relevant to the physics of magnetic reconnection. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4d37a40041ac4154aafaff03b4759c2c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-4d37a40041ac4154aafaff03b4759c2c2025-08-20T03:07:23ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072021-01-01482n/an/a10.1029/2020GL090089Characteristics of Energetic Electrons Near Active Magnetotail Reconnection Sites: Tracers of a Complex Magnetic Topology and Evidence of Localized AccelerationDrew L. Turner0Ian J. Cohen1Samuel T. Bingham2Grant K. Stephens3Mikhail I. Sitnov4Barry H. Mauk5Richard E. Denton6Trevor W. Leonard7Joseph F. Fennell8J. Bernard Blake9Roy B. Torbert10James L. Burch11Space Exploration Sector The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel MD USASpace Exploration Sector The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel MD USASpace Exploration Sector The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel MD USASpace Exploration Sector The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel MD USASpace Exploration Sector The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel MD USASpace Exploration Sector The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel MD USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy Dartmouth College Hanover NH USALaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics University of Colorado Boulder CO USADepartment of Space Sciences The Aerospace Corporation El Segundo CA USADepartment of Space Sciences The Aerospace Corporation El Segundo CA USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy University of New Hampshire Durham NH USASouthwest Research Institute San Antonio TX USAAbstract We present detailed observations and reconstructed magnetic field topologies from a magnetic reconnection event observed directly by NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. Comparing and contrasting energy and angular distributions of >50 keV electrons observed by three MMS spacecraft separated by only ∼18 km revealed a combination of chaotic motion and surprisingly coherent gyrophase bunching within a few thousand kilometers of the reconnection site. Such gyrophase‐bunched electrons have not been observed previously at these energies in relation to magnetic reconnection. Results indicate that the magnetic topology around the electron diffusion region was relatively stable over several seconds (i.e., more than a thousand electron gyro‐periods), and the observed gyrophase bunching may be the highest‐energy extent of coherent gyrophase structures observed at lower‐energies closer to the reconnection site. We hypothesize that the coherent gyrophase bunching was evidence of these energetic electrons being accelerated at the reconnection site and possibly also in the outflowing exhaust jets of the active reconnection. This case study exemplifies how energetic electrons can carry coherent signals of remote magnetic topologies and processes relevant to the physics of magnetic reconnection.https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090089accelerationdiffusion regionelectronsmagnetic reconnectionplasma physics |
| spellingShingle | Drew L. Turner Ian J. Cohen Samuel T. Bingham Grant K. Stephens Mikhail I. Sitnov Barry H. Mauk Richard E. Denton Trevor W. Leonard Joseph F. Fennell J. Bernard Blake Roy B. Torbert James L. Burch Characteristics of Energetic Electrons Near Active Magnetotail Reconnection Sites: Tracers of a Complex Magnetic Topology and Evidence of Localized Acceleration Geophysical Research Letters acceleration diffusion region electrons magnetic reconnection plasma physics |
| title | Characteristics of Energetic Electrons Near Active Magnetotail Reconnection Sites: Tracers of a Complex Magnetic Topology and Evidence of Localized Acceleration |
| title_full | Characteristics of Energetic Electrons Near Active Magnetotail Reconnection Sites: Tracers of a Complex Magnetic Topology and Evidence of Localized Acceleration |
| title_fullStr | Characteristics of Energetic Electrons Near Active Magnetotail Reconnection Sites: Tracers of a Complex Magnetic Topology and Evidence of Localized Acceleration |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characteristics of Energetic Electrons Near Active Magnetotail Reconnection Sites: Tracers of a Complex Magnetic Topology and Evidence of Localized Acceleration |
| title_short | Characteristics of Energetic Electrons Near Active Magnetotail Reconnection Sites: Tracers of a Complex Magnetic Topology and Evidence of Localized Acceleration |
| title_sort | characteristics of energetic electrons near active magnetotail reconnection sites tracers of a complex magnetic topology and evidence of localized acceleration |
| topic | acceleration diffusion region electrons magnetic reconnection plasma physics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090089 |
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