Localized Oscillatory Energy Conversion in Magnetopause Reconnection

Abstract Data from the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale mission are used to investigate asymmetric magnetic reconnection at the dayside boundary between the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind. High‐resolution measurements of plasmas and fields are used to identify highly localized (~15 elec...

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Main Authors: J. L. Burch, R. E. Ergun, P. A. Cassak, J. M. Webster, R. B. Torbert, B. L. Giles, J. C. Dorelli, A. C. Rager, K.‐J. Hwang, T. D. Phan, K. J. Genestreti, R. C. Allen, L.‐J. Chen, S. Wang, D. Gershman, O. Le Contel, C. T. Russell, R. J. Strangeway, Victoria Wilder, D. B. Graham, M. Hesse, J. F. Drake, M. Swisdak, L. M. Price, M. A. Shay, P.‐A. Lindqvist, C. J. Pollock, R. E. Denton, D. L. Newman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-02-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076809
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author J. L. Burch
R. E. Ergun
P. A. Cassak
J. M. Webster
R. B. Torbert
B. L. Giles
J. C. Dorelli
A. C. Rager
K.‐J. Hwang
T. D. Phan
K. J. Genestreti
R. C. Allen
L.‐J. Chen
S. Wang
D. Gershman
O. Le Contel
C. T. Russell
R. J. Strangeway
Victoria Wilder
D. B. Graham
M. Hesse
J. F. Drake
M. Swisdak
L. M. Price
M. A. Shay
P.‐A. Lindqvist
C. J. Pollock
R. E. Denton
D. L. Newman
author_facet J. L. Burch
R. E. Ergun
P. A. Cassak
J. M. Webster
R. B. Torbert
B. L. Giles
J. C. Dorelli
A. C. Rager
K.‐J. Hwang
T. D. Phan
K. J. Genestreti
R. C. Allen
L.‐J. Chen
S. Wang
D. Gershman
O. Le Contel
C. T. Russell
R. J. Strangeway
Victoria Wilder
D. B. Graham
M. Hesse
J. F. Drake
M. Swisdak
L. M. Price
M. A. Shay
P.‐A. Lindqvist
C. J. Pollock
R. E. Denton
D. L. Newman
author_sort J. L. Burch
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Data from the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale mission are used to investigate asymmetric magnetic reconnection at the dayside boundary between the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind. High‐resolution measurements of plasmas and fields are used to identify highly localized (~15 electron Debye lengths) standing wave structures with large electric field amplitudes (up to 100 mV/m). These wave structures are associated with spatially oscillatory energy conversion, which appears as alternatingly positive and negative values of J · E. For small guide magnetic fields the wave structures occur in the electron stagnation region at the magnetosphere edge of the electron diffusion region. For larger guide fields the structures also occur near the reconnection X‐line. This difference is explained in terms of channels for the out‐of‐plane current (agyrotropic electrons at the stagnation point and guide field‐aligned electrons at the X‐line).
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publishDate 2018-02-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-46d71e8f90a54f96b808cda43677e25d2025-08-20T03:49:46ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072018-02-014531237124510.1002/2017GL076809Localized Oscillatory Energy Conversion in Magnetopause ReconnectionJ. L. Burch0R. E. Ergun1P. A. Cassak2J. M. Webster3R. B. Torbert4B. L. Giles5J. C. Dorelli6A. C. Rager7K.‐J. Hwang8T. D. Phan9K. J. Genestreti10R. C. Allen11L.‐J. Chen12S. Wang13D. Gershman14O. Le Contel15C. T. Russell16R. J. Strangeway17Victoria Wilder18D. B. Graham19M. Hesse20J. F. Drake21M. Swisdak22L. M. Price23M. A. Shay24P.‐A. Lindqvist25C. J. Pollock26R. E. Denton27D. L. Newman28Southwest Research Institute San Antonio TX USALASP University of Colorado Boulder Boulder CO USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy West Virginia University Morgantown WV USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy William Marsh Rice University Houston TX USASouthwest Research Institute San Antonio TX USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USASouthwest Research Institute San Antonio TX USASpace Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley CA USASpace Research Institute Austrian Academy of Sciences Graz AustriaThe Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel MD USADepartment of Astronomy University of Maryland College Park MD USADepartment of Astronomy University of Maryland College Park MD USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USALaboratoire de Physique des Plasmas, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, UPMC Univ Paris 06, University Paris‐Sud, Observatoire de Paris Paris FranceDepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences University of California Los Angeles CA USADepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences University of California Los Angeles CA USALASP University of Colorado Boulder Boulder CO USASwedish Institute of Space Physics Uppsala SwedenDepartment of Physics and Technology University of Bergen Bergen NorwayDepartment of Astronomy University of Maryland College Park MD USADepartment of Astronomy University of Maryland College Park MD USADepartment of Astronomy University of Maryland College Park MD USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy University of Delaware Newark DE USADepartment of Space and Plasma Physics Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm SwedenDenali Scientific Healy AK USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy Dartmouth College Hanover NH USALASP University of Colorado Boulder Boulder CO USAAbstract Data from the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale mission are used to investigate asymmetric magnetic reconnection at the dayside boundary between the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind. High‐resolution measurements of plasmas and fields are used to identify highly localized (~15 electron Debye lengths) standing wave structures with large electric field amplitudes (up to 100 mV/m). These wave structures are associated with spatially oscillatory energy conversion, which appears as alternatingly positive and negative values of J · E. For small guide magnetic fields the wave structures occur in the electron stagnation region at the magnetosphere edge of the electron diffusion region. For larger guide fields the structures also occur near the reconnection X‐line. This difference is explained in terms of channels for the out‐of‐plane current (agyrotropic electrons at the stagnation point and guide field‐aligned electrons at the X‐line).https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076809reconnectionmagnetopauseMMS
spellingShingle J. L. Burch
R. E. Ergun
P. A. Cassak
J. M. Webster
R. B. Torbert
B. L. Giles
J. C. Dorelli
A. C. Rager
K.‐J. Hwang
T. D. Phan
K. J. Genestreti
R. C. Allen
L.‐J. Chen
S. Wang
D. Gershman
O. Le Contel
C. T. Russell
R. J. Strangeway
Victoria Wilder
D. B. Graham
M. Hesse
J. F. Drake
M. Swisdak
L. M. Price
M. A. Shay
P.‐A. Lindqvist
C. J. Pollock
R. E. Denton
D. L. Newman
Localized Oscillatory Energy Conversion in Magnetopause Reconnection
Geophysical Research Letters
reconnection
magnetopause
MMS
title Localized Oscillatory Energy Conversion in Magnetopause Reconnection
title_full Localized Oscillatory Energy Conversion in Magnetopause Reconnection
title_fullStr Localized Oscillatory Energy Conversion in Magnetopause Reconnection
title_full_unstemmed Localized Oscillatory Energy Conversion in Magnetopause Reconnection
title_short Localized Oscillatory Energy Conversion in Magnetopause Reconnection
title_sort localized oscillatory energy conversion in magnetopause reconnection
topic reconnection
magnetopause
MMS
url https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076809
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