Spatial evolution of magnetic reconnection diffusion region structures with distance from the X-line

M. Oieroset; T. D. Phan; R. Ergun; N. Ahmadi; K. Genestreti; J. F. Drake; Y-H Liu; C. Haggerty; J. P. Eastwood; M. A. Shay; P. S. Pyakurel; S. Haaland; M. Oka; M. Goodbred; S. Eriksson; J. L. Burch; R. B. Torbert; Y. Khotyaintsev; C. T. Russell; R. J. Strangeway; D. J. Gershman; B. L. Giles

doi:10.1063/5.0072182

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Spatial evolution of magnetic reconnection diffusion region structures with distance from the X-line

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Spatial evolution of magnetic reconnection diffusion region structures with distance from the X-line

M. Oieroset, T. D. Phan, R. Ergun, N. Ahmadi, K. Genestreti, J. F. Drake, Y-H Liu, C. Haggerty, J. P. Eastwood, M. A. Shay, …

Physics of plasmas, Vol.28(12), 122901

12/01/2021

DOI: 10.1063/5.0072182

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Abstract

We report Magnetospheric Multiscale four-spacecraft observations of a thin reconnecting current sheet with weakly asymmetric inflow conditions and a guide field of approximately twice the reconnecting magnetic field. The event was observed at the interface of interlinked magnetic field lines at the flank magnetopause when the maximum spacecraft separation was 370 km and the spacecraft covered & SIM;1.7 ion inertial lengths (d(i)) in the reconnection outflow direction. The ion-scale spacecraft separation made it possible to observe the transition from electron-only super ion-Alfvenic outflow near the electron diffusion region (EDR) to the emergence of sub-Alfvenic ion outflow in the ion diffusion region (IDR). The EDR to IDR evolution over a distance less than 2 d(i) also shows the transition from a near-linear reconnecting magnetic field reversal to a more bifurcated current sheet as well as significant decreases in the parallel electric field and dissipation. Both the ion and electron heating in this diffusion region event were similar to the previously reported heating in the far downstream exhausts. The dimensionless reconnection rate, obtained four different ways, was in the range of 0.13-0.27. This event reveals the rapid spatial evolution of the plasma and electromagnetic fields through the EDR to IDR transition region.& nbsp;(C) 2021 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Title: Subtitle: Spatial evolution of magnetic reconnection diffusion region structures with distance from the X-line
Creators: M. Oieroset - Univ Calif Berkeley, Space Sci Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
T. D. Phan - University of California, Berkeley
R. Ergun - Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
N. Ahmadi - Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
K. Genestreti - Southwest Research Institute
J. F. Drake - University of Maryland, College Park
Y-H Liu - Dartmouth College
C. Haggerty - University of Hawaii System
J. P. Eastwood - Imperial College London
M. A. Shay - University of Delaware
P. S. Pyakurel - University of California, Berkeley
S. Haaland - Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
M. Oka - University of California, Berkeley
M. Goodbred - Dartmouth College
S. Eriksson - Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
J. L. Burch - Southwest Research Institute
R. B. Torbert - University of New Hampshire
Y. Khotyaintsev - Swedish Institute of Space Physics
C. T. Russell - University of California, Los Angeles
R. J. Strangeway - University of California, Los Angeles
D. J. Gershman - Goddard Space Flight Center
B. L. Giles - Goddard Space Flight Center
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Physics of plasmas, Vol.28(12), 122901
DOI: 10.1063/5.0072182
ISSN: 1070-664X
eISSN: 1089-7674
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Number of pages: 14
Grant note: 1002662; NNX17AE12G / NASA; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) NNX16AG76G; NNX17AE12G; 80NSSC18K1380 / NASA at UC Berkeley ST/S000364/1 / UKRI/STFC Grant at Imperial College London; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) ST/S000364/1 / Science and Technology Facilities Council; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) ST/S000364/1 / STFC; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Language: English
Date published: 12/01/2021
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9985224320802771

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