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

Abstract

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.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
  2. Southwest Research Inst. (SwRI), San Antonio, TX (United States)
  3. West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)
  4. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
OSTI Identifier:
1544268
Grant/Contract Number:  
NNX14AC78G; NNX16AG76G; NNX16AF75
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Geophysical Research Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 45; Journal Issue: 11; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION; magnetic reconnection; magnetopause; PIC simulations

Citation Formats

Swisdak, M., Drake, J. F., Price, L., Burch, J. L., Cassak, P. A., and Phan, T. -D. Localized and Intense Energy Conversion in the Diffusion Region of Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1029/2017GL076862.
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Swisdak, M., Drake, J. F., Price, L., Burch, J. L., Cassak, P. A., & Phan, T. -D. Localized and Intense Energy Conversion in the Diffusion Region of Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GL076862
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Swisdak, M., Drake, J. F., Price, L., Burch, J. L., Cassak, P. A., and Phan, T. -D. Wed . "Localized and Intense Energy Conversion in the Diffusion Region of Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GL076862. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1544268.
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@article{osti_1544268,
title = {Localized and Intense Energy Conversion in the Diffusion Region of Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection},
author = {Swisdak, M. and Drake, J. F. and Price, L. and Burch, J. L. and Cassak, P. A. and Phan, T. -D.},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {10.1029/2017GL076862},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
number = 11,
volume = 45,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed May 16 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Wed May 16 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
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Journal Article:
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Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GL076862
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Cited by: 24 works
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Works referenced in this record:

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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Energy Conversion and Electron Acceleration in the Magnetopause Reconnection Diffusion Region
    journal, September 2019

    • Pritchard, K. R.; Burch, J. L.; Fuselier, S. A.
    • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 46, Issue 17-18
    • DOI: 10.1029/2019gl084636

    Electron‐Scale Magnetic Structure Observed Adjacent to an Electron Diffusion Region at the Dayside Magnetopause
    journal, December 2019

    • Hoilijoki, S.; Ergun, R. E.; Schwartz, S. J.
    • Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 124, Issue 12
    • DOI: 10.1029/2019ja027192
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