D. B. Graham

Currents and associated electron scattering and bouncing near the diffusion region at Earth's magnetopause

Based on high-resolution measurements from NASAs Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, we present the dynamics of electrons associated with current systems observed near the diffusion region of magnetic reconnection at Earths magnetopause. Using pitch angle distributions (PAD) and magnetic curvature analysis, we demonstrate the occurrence of electron scattering in the curved magnetic field of the diffusion region down to energies of 20 eV. We show that scattering occurs closer to the current sheet as the electron energy decreases. The scattering of inflowing electrons, associated with field-aligned electrostatic potentials and Hall currents, produces a new population of scattered electrons with broader PAD which bounce back and forth in the exhaust. Except at the center of the diffusion region the two populations are collocated and appear to behave adiabatically: the inflowing electron PAD focuses inward (toward lower magnetic field), while the bouncing population PAD gradually peaks at 90° away from the center (where it mirrors owing to higher magnetic field and probable field-aligned potentials).

Electron jet of asymmetric reconnection

We present Magnetospheric Multiscale observations of an electron-scale current sheet and electron outflow jet for asymmetric reconnection with guide field at the subsolar magnetopause. The electron ...

Whistler emission in the separatrix regions of asymmetric magnetic reconnection

At Earths dayside magnetopause asymmetric magnetic reconnection occurs between the cold dense magnetosheath plasma and the hot tenuous magnetospheric plasma, which differs significantly from symme ...

Electron currents and heating in the ion diffusion region of asymmetric reconnection

In this letter the structure of the ion diffusion region of magnetic reconnection at Earths magnetopause is investigated using the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft. The ion diffusion region is characterized by a strong DC electric field, approximately equal to the Hall electric field, intense currents, and electron heating parallel to the background magnetic field. Current structures well below ion spatial scales are resolved, and the electron motion associated with lower hybrid drift waves is shown to contribute significantly to the total current density. The electron heating is shown to be consistent with large-scale parallel electric fields trapping and accelerating electrons, rather than wave-particle interactions. These results show that sub-ion scale processes occur in the ion diffusion region and are important for understanding electron heating and acceleration.

EVIDENCE AGAINST THE OSCILLATING TWO-STREAM INSTABILITY AND SPATIAL COLLAPSE OF LANGMUIR WAVES IN SOLAR TYPE III RADIO BURSTS

Recently Thejappa et al. studied a specific Langmuir wave packet observed by STEREO A and argued based on the electric field from one of the three antennas that this packet satisfied the conditions for the oscillating two-stream instability (OTSI) and was undergoing wave collapse. We analyze the same event using all three electric components and show that, while the wave packet has structure consistent with collapse simulations and theory, the field strength is well below that required for collapse to proceed. Analyzing the three electric field components shows that the power spectrum and dominance of wave power perpendicular to the local magnetic field are inconsistent with OTSI. We show that this packet and other more intense packets are inconsistent with collapse and show no evidence of OTSI, but are likely trapped eigenmodes in density wells. Therefore, OTSI and collapse are unlikely explanations for intense Langmuir events observed in the solar wind.

Electrostatic solitary waves with distinct speeds associated with asymmetric reconnection

Electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) are observed at the magnetopause with distinct time scales. These ESWs are associated with asymmetric reconnection of the cold dense magnetosheath plasma with the hot tenuous magnetospheric plasma. The distinct time scales are shown to be due to ESWs moving at distinct speeds and having distinct length scales. The length scales are of order 5–50 Debye lengths, and the speeds range from ∼50 km s−1 to ∼1000 km s−1. The ESWs are observed near the reconnection separatrices. The observation of ESWs with distinct speeds suggests that multiple instabilities are occurring. The implications for reconnection at the magnetopause are discussed.

Lower hybrid waves in the ion diffusion and magnetospheric inflow regions

The role and properties of lower hybrid waves in the ion diffusion region and magnetospheric inflow region of asymmetric reconnection are investigated using the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) miss ...

Finite gyroradius effects in the electron outflow of asymmetric magnetic reconnection

We present observations of asymmetric magnetic reconnection showing evidence of electron demagnetization in the electron outflow. The observations were made at the magnetopause by the four Magnetos ...

Whistler mode waves and Hall fields detected by MMS during a dayside magnetopause crossing

We present Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission measurements during a full magnetopause crossing associated with an enhanced southward ion flow. A quasi-steady magnetospheric whistler mode wave ...

Electron scale structures and magnetic reconnection signatures in the turbulent magnetosheath

Collisionless space plasma turbulence can generate reconnecting thin current sheets as suggested by recent results of numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations. The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission provides the first serious opportunity to verify whether small ion-electron-scale reconnection, generated by turbulence, resembles the reconnection events frequently observed in the magnetotail or at the magnetopause. Here we investigate field and particle observations obtained by the MMS fleet in the turbulent terrestrial magnetosheath behind quasi-parallel bow shock geometry. We observe multiple small-scale current sheets during the event and present a detailed look of one of the detected structures. The emergence of thin current sheets can lead to electron scale structures. Within these structures, we see signatures of ion demagnetization, electron jets, electron heating, and agyrotropy suggesting that MMS spacecraft observe reconnection at these scales.