Physics
Scientific paper
May 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007agusmsm53c..06c&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2007, abstract #SM53C-06
Physics
2723 Magnetic Reconnection (7526, 7835), 7526 Magnetic Reconnection (2723, 7835), 7835 Magnetic Reconnection (2723, 7526), 7845 Particle Acceleration
Scientific paper
Magnetic reconnection is widely accepted to be a mechanism for electron acceleration, but exactly how electrons are accelerated during reconnection remains a long-standing question. A series of magnetic islands is observed in the magnetotail current sheet during active reconnection by multiple spacecraft. Electrons are hot within islands. The islands move away from the main reconnection sites with a velocity ~ 500 km/s based on multi-spacecraft timing analysis. The electric current distribution within an island varies significantly over a fraction of an ion inertial length in the out-of-plane direction, necessitating a 3D description. Associated with each island, is a burst of energetic electrons with energies ~35 to 120 keV. High time-resolution data reveal that energetic electron fluxes peak at sites of compressed density within magnetic islands. Within the islands, the density of O+ is higher than that of H+. The O+ ions are unmagnetized, and their density exhibits similar compression as the electron density, indicating that the density compression is not due to magnetic trapping by contracting islands, but most likely, due to the continuous injection of the ion and electron jets from the two reconnection sites bounding an island. The observation establishes a link between energetic electrons and magnetic islands, and provides supporting evidence for multiple reconnection sites.
Bessho Naoki
Bhattacharjee Anirban
Chen Leon L.
Daly Phil
Fazakerley Andrew
No associations
LandOfFree
Cluster observation of magnetic islands and energetic electrons does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Cluster observation of magnetic islands and energetic electrons, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Cluster observation of magnetic islands and energetic electrons will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1040586