Title: Energy Conversion by Parallel Electric Fields During Guide Field Reconnection in Scaled Laboratory and Space Experiments

Abstract

Here, we present direct and scaled comparisons between laboratory and in situ space observations of magnetic reconnection with a guide field, comparing results from the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission and the Magnetic Reconnection eXperiment (MRX). While Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission observations obtain high–resolution and fully kinetic data, MRX observations fully cover the 2–D reconnection plane near the current sheet, removing uncertainties in situating the measurements compared to the reconnection region. Through scaling transformations, we show a quantitative agreement in magnetic field and current density profiles, which agree within a factor of 2 from each other. The introduction of the guide field causes the energy conversion J·E in the current sheet to be dominated by J_||E_|| in both cases. However, parallel electric fields reported by recent spacecraft crossings are significantly (5–10 times) larger than values obtained on MRX, highlighting an important issue for understanding energy conversion by reconnection.

Authors:

Fox, W.  ^[1];

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• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-6289-858X"

Wilder, F. D.  ^[2];

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• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-2463-4716"

Eriksson, S.  ^[2];

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• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-5619-1577"

Jara‐Almonte, J.  ^[3];

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• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0003-0760-6198"

Pucci, F. ^[4]; Yoo, J.  ^[3];

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• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0003-3881-1995"

Ji, H.  ^[1];

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Yamada, M. ^[3]; Ergun, R. E.  ^[2];

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• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-3096-8579"

Oieroset, M.  ^[5];

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• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0003-3112-1561"

Phan, T. D.  ^[5]

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• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-6924-9408"

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ (United States)
2. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
3. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
4. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); National Institute of Natural Sciences, Toki (Japan)
5. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

Publication Date:

Thu Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2018

Research Org.:

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE

OSTI Identifier:

1489242

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1484954

Grant/Contract Number:  

NNH15AB29I; NNH14AX631; AC02-04CH11466

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Geophysical Research Letters

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 45; Journal Issue: 23; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276

Publisher:

American Geophysical Union

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION; magnetic reconnection; magnetosphere; energy conversion; guide field; experiment