Wind Observations of Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection in the Distant Magnetotail

Details Wind Observations of Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection in the Distant Magnetotail Wind Observations of Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection in the Distant Magnetotail

Dec 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003agufmsm31e..06o&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2003, abstract #SM31E-06

Physics

2740 Magnetospheric Configuration And Dynamics, 2744 Magnetotail, 2764 Plasma Sheet, 2784 Solar Wind/Magnetosphere Interactions, 7835 Magnetic Reconnection

Scientific paper

Unlike dayside magnetopause reconnection, reconnection in the magnetotail is usually considered to be symmetric, involving the southern and northern lobes with similar plasma and field properties. The reconnection layer with such symmetric boundary conditions consists of a pair of slow shocks that compress, heat and accelerate the incoming (lobe) plasmas. The resulting outflow plasma jets are typically sub-Alfvenic. Here we report observations of asymmetric reconnection in the distant tail (at XGSE ˜ -90 RE) between a nearly empty lobe and one that is loaded with plasma (the mantle). Such conditions occur when the IMF By component is large. This asymmetric reconnection configuration is somewhat similar to the dayside magnetopause. The observed reconnection jet is Alfvenic and the plasma density in the outflow region (the plasma sheet) is intermediate between those of the lobe and the mantle.

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