MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause

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

doi:10.1002/2016GL069166

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MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause

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MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause

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, …

Geophysical research letters, Vol.43(11), pp.5536-5544

06/16/2016

DOI: 10.1002/2016GL069166

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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.

flux rope

magnetic reconnection

magnetopause

magnetospheric multiscale

particle acceleration

Details

Title: Subtitle: MMS observations of large guide field symmetric reconnection between colliding reconnection jets at the center of a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause
Creators: M. Øieroset - University of California, Berkeley
T. D. Phan - University of California, Berkeley
C. Haggerty - University of Delaware
M. A. Shay - University of Delaware
J. P. Eastwood - Imperial College London
D. J. Gershman - Goddard Space Flight Center
J. F. Drake - University of Maryland, College Park
M. Fujimoto - National Sagamihara Hospital
R. E. Ergun - Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
F. S. Mozer - University of California, Berkeley
M. Oka - University of California, Berkeley
R. B. Torbert - University of New Hampshire
J. L. Burch - Southwest Research Institute
S. Wang - Goddard Space Flight Center
L. J. Chen - Goddard Space Flight Center
M. Swisdak - University of Maryland, College Park
C. Pollock - Usibelli Coal Mine (United States)
J. C. Dorelli - Goddard Space Flight Center
S. A. Fuselier - Southwest Research Institute
B. Lavraud - Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées
B. L. Giles - Goddard Space Flight Center
T. E. Moore - Goddard Space Flight Center
Y. Saito - National Sagamihara Hospital
L. A. Avanov - Goddard Space Flight Center
W. Paterson - Goddard Space Flight Center
R. J. Strangeway - University of California, Los Angeles
C. T. Russell - University of California, Los Angeles
Y. Khotyaintsev - Swedish Institute of Space Physics
P. A. Lindqvist - KTH Royal Institute of Technology
K. Malakit - Mahidol University
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Geophysical research letters, Vol.43(11), pp.5536-5544
DOI: 10.1002/2016GL069166
ISSN: 0094-8276
eISSN: 1944-8007
Number of pages: 9
Grant note: AGS-1103303 / National Science Foundation (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100000001) Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/501100002830) NNX15AW58G / University of California Berkeley (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100006978) University of California Berkeley (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100006978) ST/K001051/1; ST/N000692/1 / Science and Technology Facilities Council (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/501100000271) Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/501100004794) AGS-1103303 / National Stroke Foundation National Science Foundation (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100000001) NNX08AO83G; NNX13AD72G / National Aeronautics and Space Administration (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100000104) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100000104)
Language: English
Date published: 06/16/2016
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9985224414702771

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