Electron Scale Structure of Thin Current Sheets in Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection

Details Electron Scale Structure of Thin Current Sheets in Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection Electron Scale Structure of Thin Current Sheets in Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufmsm24b..02d&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #SM24B-02

Physics

[0654] Electromagnetics / Plasmas, [2723] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetic Reconnection, [2744] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetotail

Scientific paper

Cluster observations have shown highly structured electron-scale current sheets (CS), viz. bifurcated, filamented and triple peak structures during magnetic reconnection. An electron-magnetohydrodynamic model (EMHD) shows that these structures develop at various stages of time dependent reconnection. The Lorentz force on electrons due to the interaction of electron outflow velocity and normal component of magnetic field bifurcates the CS in the outflow regions. The bifurcation limits the length of the reconnecting CS which is further reduced by the secondary instabilities growing on the bifurcated CS. The bifurcation generates a new shear in the electron flow, which causes secondary instabilities and consequently filamentation of the current sheet in the outflow region. Such filamentary structures have been observed by Cluster spacecraft in magnetopause. In the presence of many reconnection sites, triple peak structure of the CS forms at the secondary sites as a result of reconnection inside the bifurcated CS associated with the main reconnection site. These results will be compared with the 3-D EMHD simulations of reconnection.

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