Other
Scientific paper
May 2005
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005agusmsm33a..06s&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2005, abstract #SM33A-06
Other
2744 Magnetotail, 7827 Kinetic And Mhd Theory, 7835 Magnetic Reconnection
Scientific paper
Boundary perturbations of the magnetic field reversal region in plasma result in either the classical X-line reconnection or the formation of tangential discontinuities [Kulsrud and Hahm, 1982]. According to recent Geotail and Cluster observations, the latter scenario is likely to occur in the region earthward of X=-24Re due to the formation of the extended thin current sheet with the thickness comparable to a few thermal ion gyroradii. Within the framework of fluid theory, magnetic reconnection via current sheet is known to be very slow as compared to the X-line case. However, the structure and dynamics of thin current sheets in collisionless plasmas of the geomagnetotail is strongly influenced by the kinetic and nonlocal effects because the ion gyroradius is comparable to the current sheet thickness. Another important factor, which was not considered earlier in the theory, are large-scale flapping motions of the tail current sheet with the amplitude comparable to the current sheet thickness. We present the kinetic theory of thin current sheets, taking explicitly into account the kinetic effects arising from the complicated nonguiding center ion motion near the magnetic field reversal. It is shown, that, in contrast to the fluid theory, the kinetic effects allow fast reconnection even for very long current sheets. The predictions of the theory as well as particle simulations based on the new class of thin current sheets equilibria are compared with Cluster observations of atypical current sheets and their flapping motions as well as with other models predictions. The new theory and simulations are shown to explain the effect of flankward propagation of flapping waves as well as the north-south asymmetry of flapping sheets. Reference: R. M. Kulsrud and T. S. Hahm, Forced magnetic reconnection. Phys. Scripta, v. T2/2, p.525, 1982.
Guzdar Parvez N.
Sitnov Mikhail I.
Swisdak Michael
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