Formation of Dipolarization Fronts as a Part of the Magnetic Reconnection Onset Process in Two-Dimensional Current Sheets

Details Formation of Dipolarization Fronts as a Part of the Magnetic Reconnection Onset Process in Two-Dimensional Current Sheets Formation of Dipolarization Fronts as a Part of the Magnetic Reconnection Onset Process in Two-Dimensional Current Sheets

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsm13c2093s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SM13C-2093

Physics

[2723] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetic Reconnection, [2744] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetotail, [2753] Magnetospheric Physics / Numerical Modeling, [2772] Magnetospheric Physics / Plasma Waves And Instabilities

Scientific paper

Multiple puzzles surround the formation and behavior of dipolarization fronts (DFs). Although DFs can be successfully reproduced in MHD and hybrid codes using various models of localized resistivity to trigger reconnection, they are typically not seen in PIC simulations initialized with 1D Harris current sheets. Moreover, recent 3D PIC simulations suggest that DFs do even not arise from reconnection, but can instead be formed as a result of the ballooning-interchange instability. We consider PIC simulations starting from new classes of 2D current sheet equilibria, including multiscale magnetotail current sheets, and show that DF formation can play an integral part in reconnection onset due to the tearing instability. During DF formation, current sheets behave as metastable systems where the transition from slow to fast phases is not caused by topological changes. Rather, the fast phase resembles the formation of bubble-blob pairs, which then promote the formation of new X-lines and electron diffusion regions. The fast phase shares properties with the ion tearing instability. Distinctive features of particle acceleration and heating associated with this mechanism of DF formation are discussed and compared to THEMIS and Cluster observations.

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