MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause
Abstract We report evidence for reconnection between colliding reconnection jets in a compressed current sheet at the center of a magnetic flux rope at Earth's magnetopause. The reconnection involved nearly symmetric inflow boundary conditions with a strong guide field of two. The thin (2.5 ion...
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2016-06-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069166 |
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| author | M. Øieroset T. D. Phan C. Haggerty M. A. Shay J. P. Eastwood D. J. Gershman J. F. Drake M. Fujimoto R. E. Ergun F. S. Mozer M. Oka R. B. Torbert J. L. Burch S. Wang L. J. Chen M. Swisdak C. Pollock J. C. Dorelli S. A. Fuselier 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 K. Malakit |
| author_facet | M. Øieroset T. D. Phan C. Haggerty M. A. Shay J. P. Eastwood D. J. Gershman J. F. Drake M. Fujimoto R. E. Ergun F. S. Mozer M. Oka R. B. Torbert J. L. Burch S. Wang L. J. Chen M. Swisdak C. Pollock J. C. Dorelli S. A. Fuselier 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 K. Malakit |
| author_sort | M. Øieroset |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We report evidence for reconnection between colliding reconnection jets in a compressed current sheet at the center of a magnetic flux rope at Earth's magnetopause. The reconnection involved nearly symmetric inflow boundary conditions with a strong guide field of two. The thin (2.5 ion‐skin depth (di) width) current sheet (at ~12 di downstream of the X line) was well resolved by MMS, which revealed large asymmetries in plasma and field structures in the exhaust. Ion perpendicular heating, electron parallel heating, and density compression occurred on one side of the exhaust, while ion parallel heating and density depression were shifted to the other side. The normal electric field and double out‐of‐plane (bifurcated) currents spanned almost the entire exhaust. These observations are in good agreement with a kinetic simulation for similar boundary conditions, demonstrating in new detail that the structure of large guide field symmetric reconnection is distinctly different from antiparallel reconnection. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-acae2391ee614f16bbd636442d65b849 |
| 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-acae2391ee614f16bbd636442d65b8492025-08-20T03:10:25ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072016-06-0143115536554410.1002/2016GL069166MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopauseM. Øieroset0T. D. Phan1C. Haggerty2M. A. Shay3J. P. Eastwood4D. J. Gershman5J. F. Drake6M. Fujimoto7R. E. Ergun8F. S. Mozer9M. Oka10R. B. Torbert11J. L. Burch12S. Wang13L. J. Chen14M. Swisdak15C. Pollock16J. C. Dorelli17S. A. Fuselier18B. Lavraud19B. L. Giles20T. E. Moore21Y. Saito22L. A. Avanov23W. Paterson24R. J. Strangeway25C. T. Russell26Y. Khotyaintsev27P. A. Lindqvist28K. Malakit29Space Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley California USASpace Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley California USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy University of Delaware Newark Delaware USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy University of Delaware Newark Delaware USAThe Blackett Laboratory Imperial College London London UKNASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USADepartment of Physics and the Institute for Physical Science and Technology University of Maryland, College Park Maryland USAISAS/JAXA Sagamihara JapanLASP University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder Colorado USASpace Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley California USASpace Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley California USAInstitute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space University of New Hampshire Durnham New Hampshire USASouthwest Research Institute San Antonio Texas USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USAInstitute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics University of Maryland College Park Maryland USADenali Scientific Healy Alaska USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USASouthwest Research Institute San Antonio Texas 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 Sagamihara 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 SwedenDepartment of Physics Mahidol University Bangkok ThailandAbstract We report evidence for reconnection between colliding reconnection jets in a compressed current sheet at the center of a magnetic flux rope at Earth's magnetopause. The reconnection involved nearly symmetric inflow boundary conditions with a strong guide field of two. The thin (2.5 ion‐skin depth (di) width) current sheet (at ~12 di downstream of the X line) was well resolved by MMS, which revealed large asymmetries in plasma and field structures in the exhaust. Ion perpendicular heating, electron parallel heating, and density compression occurred on one side of the exhaust, while ion parallel heating and density depression were shifted to the other side. The normal electric field and double out‐of‐plane (bifurcated) currents spanned almost the entire exhaust. These observations are in good agreement with a kinetic simulation for similar boundary conditions, demonstrating in new detail that the structure of large guide field symmetric reconnection is distinctly different from antiparallel reconnection.https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069166magnetic reconnectionparticle accelerationmagnetopauseflux ropemagnetospheric multiscale |
| spellingShingle | M. Øieroset T. D. Phan C. Haggerty M. A. Shay J. P. Eastwood D. J. Gershman J. F. Drake M. Fujimoto R. E. Ergun F. S. Mozer M. Oka R. B. Torbert J. L. Burch S. Wang L. J. Chen M. Swisdak C. Pollock J. C. Dorelli S. A. Fuselier 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 K. Malakit MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause Geophysical Research Letters magnetic reconnection particle acceleration magnetopause flux rope magnetospheric multiscale |
| title | MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause |
| title_full | MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause |
| title_fullStr | MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause |
| title_full_unstemmed | MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause |
| title_short | MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause |
| title_sort | mms observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause |
| topic | magnetic reconnection particle acceleration magnetopause flux rope magnetospheric multiscale |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069166 |
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