Super-Alfvénic Propagation and Damping of Reconnection Onset Signatures

P. Sharma Pyakurel; M. A. Shay; C. C. Haggerty; T. N. Parashar; J. F. Drake; P. A. Cassak; S. Peter Gary

doi:10.1002/2017JA024606

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Super-Alfvénic Propagation and Damping of Reconnection Onset Signatures

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Super-Alfvénic Propagation and Damping of Reconnection Onset Signatures

P. Sharma Pyakurel, M. A. Shay, C. C. Haggerty, T. N. Parashar, J. F. Drake, P. A. Cassak and S. Peter Gary

Journal of geophysical research : Space physics (2013 - Present), Vol.123(1), pp.341-349

01/01/2018

DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024606

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Abstract

The quadrupolar out-of-plane Hall magnetic field generated during collisionless reconnection propagates away from the x line as a kinetic Alfvén wave (KAW). While it has been shown that this KAW carries substantial Poynting flux and propagates super-Alfvenically, how this KAW damps as it propagates away from the x line is not well understood. In this study, this damping is examined using kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of antiparallel symmetric magnetic reconnection in a one-dimensional current sheet equilibrium. In the reconnection simulations, the KAW wave vector has a typical magnitude comparable to an inverse fluid Larmor radius (effectively an inverse ion Larmor radius) and a direction of 85–89° relative to the local magnetic field. We find that the damping of the reconnection KAW is consistent with linear Landau damping results from a numerical Vlasov dispersion solver. This knowledge allows us to generalize our damping predictions to regions in the magnetotail and solar corona where the magnetic geometry can be approximated as a current sheet. For the magnetotail, the KAW from reconnection will not damp away before propagating the approximately 20 Earth radii associated with global magnetotail distances. For the solar corona, on the other hand, these KAWs will completely damp before reaching the distances comparable to the flare loop length.

kinetic Alfvén waves

Landau damping

magnetic reconnection

magnetotail

Details

Title: Subtitle: Super-Alfvénic Propagation and Damping of Reconnection Onset Signatures
Creators: P. Sharma Pyakurel - University of Delaware
M. A. Shay - University of Delaware
C. C. Haggerty - University of Delaware
T. N. Parashar - University of Delaware
J. F. Drake - University of Maryland, College Park
P. A. Cassak - West Virginia University
S. Peter Gary - Space Science Institute
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of geophysical research : Space physics (2013 - Present), Vol.123(1), pp.341-349
DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024606
ISSN: 2169-9380
eISSN: 2169-9402
Number of pages: 9
Grant note: NNX08A083G-MMS; NNX15AW58G / National Aeronautics and Space Administration (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100000104) AGS-1219369 / National Science Foundation (100000001) NNX15AW58G / National Aeronautics and Space Administration (100000104) NNX08A083G-MMS / National Aeronautics and Space Administration (100000104) AGS-1219369; AGS-1219382; AGS-1460130 / National Science Foundation (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100000001) AGS-1219382 / National Science Foundation (100000001) AGS-1460130 / National Science Foundation (100000001)
Language: English
Date published: 01/01/2018
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9985224318002771

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