Measurement of the in-plane ion flow and space potential profiles in the diffusion region of magnetic reconnection

Details Measurement of the in-plane ion flow and space potential profiles in the diffusion region of magnetic reconnection Measurement of the in-plane ion flow and space potential profiles in the diffusion region of magnetic reconnection

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsm23b2041y&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SM23B-2041

Physics

[2723] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetic Reconnection, [2740] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetospheric Configuration And Dynamics

Scientific paper

The Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) is a toroidal device dedicated to the study of magnetic reconnection in the laboratory. Here, we have modified the standard operation of MRX to include additional internal Shaping Field coils which control the current sheet motion. Controlled sweeping of the current sheet enables us to measure radial profiles of various physical quantities across the diffusion region with probes that contain only a single measurement point. With the help of this current sheet jogging, in-plane ion velocity and electric field profiles are measured using 5-tip Langmuir-Mach probe assemblies. The ion outflow is measured to reach speeds up to 40 km/s, about the half of the Alfven velocity. The electric field is simultaneously measured and points downstream (in the outflow direction) with a magnitude of 300-700 V/m. Radial floating potential profiles are measured using a floating potential array and additional Langmuir probes. Similar to those seen in numerical simulations and space observations, potential wells develop across the diffusion region. The potential well becomes deeper and broader further downstream in the outflow direction: the magnitude of the potential well is about 10-15V at the center and 15-35V downstream. The magnitude of this potential well is related to the dip in the sum of magnetic pressure and electron pressure, indicating ions are heated by the potential well.

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