Scale Sizes of Reverse Reconnection on the High Latitude Magnetopause

Details Scale Sizes of Reverse Reconnection on the High Latitude Magnetopause Scale Sizes of Reverse Reconnection on the High Latitude Magnetopause

May 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agusmsm21a..03r&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007, abstract #SM21A-03

Physics

2706 Cusp, 2724 Magnetopause And Boundary Layers, 2744 Magnetotail, 2748 Magnetotail Boundary Layers, 2764 Plasma Sheet

Scientific paper

The Cluster four-spacecraft mission presents a unique opportunity to determine the actual scale size of reconnection by the use of simultaneous measurements of particles, flows, and fields. On March 18, 2002, the Cluster satellites traveled from the Earth's northern mantle into the magnetosheath. During this time, the IMAGE spacecraft observed a long-lived proton emission northward of the auroral zone. Meanwhile the Iridium spacecraft show a clear NBZ current system, and the DMSP spacecraft show sustained sunward high latitude flows in a four-cell pattern. Thus the ground-based spacecraft demonstrate the long-lived and large spatial scales associated with the reverse reconnection while the Cluster spacecraft show the microphysics of the reconnection. We present Cluster electron, ion and magnetic field evidence for an encounter with this active merging site at the magnetopause. Magnetic field data analysis reveals that Cluster passed within 1 km of the merging site, well within the dimensions of an ion diffusion region and possibly within the electron diffusion region. The latter conclusion is supported by electron moment calculations of the pressure divergence electric field at that location. The electron and ion flows at the x-line are also consistent with the inflows and accelerated outflows of a merging site. A fit to superposed epoch magnetic field components observed by all the spacecraft near the x-line yields an estimate of 10 nT for the magnetic field component normal to the magnetopause, large enough to make a significant contribution to the polar cap potential drop. This same fit also allows us to estimate a current sheet thickness of roughly 10 km perpendicular to the magnetopause. In contrast, the Iridium and DMSP spacecraft imply a minimum footprint of the reconnection on the ionosphere of at least 5000 km along the Xline. The upcoming MMS spacecraft should be able to improve on a study such as this by its increased temporal and spatial resolution.

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