Super-Alfvénic propagation of reconnection energy flux: Kinetic PIC simulations compared to Satellite Observations

Details Super-Alfvénic propagation of reconnection energy flux: Kinetic PIC simulations compared to Satellite Observations Super-Alfvénic propagation of reconnection energy flux: Kinetic PIC simulations compared to Satellite Observations

Dec 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsm51c1841s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SM51C-1841

Physics

Plasma Physics

[2723] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetic Reconnection, [2790] Magnetospheric Physics / Substorms, [7526] Solar Physics, Astrophysics, And Astronomy / Magnetic Reconnection, [7835] Space Plasma Physics / Magnetic Reconnection

Scientific paper

The propagation of and energy flux associated with reconnection signatures are examined using kinetic particle-in-cell simulations and Cluster satellite observations. It is found that near the separatrices at significant distances from the x-line, the Hall out-of-plane magnetic field is associated with a kinetic Alfvén wave. The parallel propagation of this wave is super-Alfvénic and generates substantial Poynting flux, with estimates for the magnetotail being: V‖ ˜ 1500 - 5500 km/s and S ˜ 10-2 - 10-1 ergs/cm2s. This energy flux has significant implications for both the substorm onset problem and solar flares, as this result implies that it may be possible to propagate substantial energy flux super-Alfvénically to create aurora in the Earth's ionosphere or hard x-rays during solar flares. With rough mapping estimates to the Earth's ionosphere, this Poynting flux is sufficient to generate white light aurora with scale sizes comparable to substorm pre-onset and post-onset auroral forms. Direct comparisons are performed with a statistical study of reconnection crossing events in the magnetotail measured by Cluster.

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