Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsm21d..01p&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SM21D-01
Physics
Plasma Physics
[2723] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetic Reconnection, [2724] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetopause And Boundary Layers, [7835] Space Plasma Physics / Magnetic Reconnection
Scientific paper
Two-dimensional treatments of dayside magnetopause reconnection produce small reconnection (inductive) electric fields Ey ˜ 0.05--0.1 VAB_0. Recent Polar observations, however, have identified short duration ( ˜ 1--10 ms) perpendicular electric fields on the magnetosphere side of the current layer with magnitude up to 100 mV/m or higher. This is 1--2 orders of magnitude larger than the 2D predictions. Particle-in-cell simulations in 3D are used to demonstrate that the 3D dayside magnetopause current layer is unstable to a spectrum of rippling modes that produce intense (up to 100 mV/m), localized Ex and Ey fields on the magnetosphere side. These modes appear on spatial scales extending from ρ e to (ρ e ρ i)1/2, where ρ e (ρ i) is the electron (ion) gyroradius in the dominant Bz magnetic field. Once reconnection is initiated, these modes tend to drift in the dawnward direction at a rate ˜ 0.2--0.3 VA ( ˜ 120--200 km/s). The passage of these structures over a slowly moving spacecraft would produce an apparent modulation of the Ex and Ey fields at a characteristic rate of ˜ 7 Hz. Evidence is presented from THEMIS dayside magnetopause crossings confirming this prediction.
Mozer F.
Pritchett Philip L.
Wilber M. M.
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