Localized and Intense Energy Conversion in the Diffusion Region of Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection

Swisdak, M.; Drake, J. F.; Price, L.; Burch, J. L.; Cassak, P. A.; Phan, T. -D.

doi:10.1029/2017GL076862

Localized and Intense Energy Conversion in the Diffusion Region of Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection

Journal Article · Wed May 16 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Geophysical Research Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GL076862· OSTI ID:1544268

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Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
Southwest Research Inst. (SwRI), San Antonio, TX (United States)
West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)
Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

We assess a high-resolution simulation of magnetopause reconnection observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission and explain the occurrence of strongly localized dissipation with an amplitude more than an order of magnitude larger than expected. Unlike symmetric reconnection, wherein reconnection of the ambient reversed magnetic field drives the dissipation, we discover that the annihilation of the self-generated, out-of-plane (Hall) magnetic field plays the dominant role. Electrons flow along the magnetosheath separatrices, converge in the diffusion region, and jet past the X-point into the magnetosphere. The resulting accumulation of negative charge generates intense parallel electric fields that eject electrons along the magnetospheric separatrices and produce field-aligned beams. Many of these features match Magnetospheric Multiscale observations.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)

Sponsoring Organization:: NASA; USDOE Office of Science (SC)

OSTI ID:: 1544268

Journal Information:: Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 45; ISSN 0094-8276

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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The Role of the Parallel Electric Field in Electron-Scale Dissipation at Reconnecting Currents in the Magnetosheath Wilder, F. D.; Ergun, R. E.; Burch, J. L. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 123, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018ja025529	journal	August 2018
High‐Frequency Wave Generation in Magnetotail Reconnection: Linear Dispersion Analysis Burch, J. L.; Dokgo, K.; Hwang, K. J. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 46, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019gl082471	journal	April 2019
Energy Conversion and Electron Acceleration in the Magnetopause Reconnection Diffusion Region Pritchard, K. R.; Burch, J. L.; Fuselier, S. A. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 46, Issue 17-18 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019gl084636	journal	September 2019
Electron‐Scale Magnetic Structure Observed Adjacent to an Electron Diffusion Region at the Dayside Magnetopause Hoilijoki, S.; Ergun, R. E.; Schwartz, S. J. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 124, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019ja027192	journal	December 2019

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