Applying Magnetic Curvature to to MMS data to identify thin current sheets relative to tail reconnection

Rogers, A. J.; Farrugia, Charles J.; Torbert, R. B.; Rogers, Timothy

doi:10.1002/essoar.10509282.1

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…A recent systematic survey of MMS plasma and field data in 2017 (Rogers et al., 2019) identified 12 such magnetotail IDRs, defined as correlated reversals of the proton bulk flow velocity, v x , and the North‐South magnetic field, B z , as shown in Figure 1 inset, along with additional Hall magnetic and electric field signatures. That analysis was later extended to 2018–2020 for a total of 26 IDR events (Rogers et al., 2023) labeled here A–Z, “IDR alphabet”, listed in Table 2. The second column in the table lists the starting date and time of each IDR interval found in Rogers et al.…”

Section: Idrs and Reconstructed Global Reconnection Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The second column in the table lists the starting date and time of each IDR interval found in Rogers et al. (2023). Due to the 5 min cadence of our DM approach, the actual reconstructed times are rounded to the nearest 5 min as indicated in the third column.…”

Section: Idrs and Reconstructed Global Reconnection Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The recent four‐probe Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission (Burch, Moore, et al., 2016) enabled microscopic analysis of magnetotail reconnection down to electron gyroradius scales (Torbert et al., 2018). During 4 yr of MMS observations, 26 potential X‐line encounters were found in the magnetotail (Rogers et al., 2019, 2023), where explosive reconnection causes substorms (Angelopoulos et al., 2020, 2008; Sitnov, Stephens, et al., 2019). They were detected in the form of Ion Diffusion Regions (IDRs) characterized by reversals of the North‐South component of the magnetic field, B z , and of the Sun‐Earth component of the proton bulk flow velocity, v x .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global Structure of Magnetotail Reconnection Revealed by Mining Space Magnetometer Data

et al. 2023

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X-lines are one of the most fundamental structures in magnetized plasmas, particularly in space, where they link global or even astronomical scale processes to those on the single particle orbit scale, thereby allowing those microscale processes to shape the universe (Ji et al., 2022). Dungey (1961) suggested that the interaction between Earth's magnetic dipole and the solar wind causes reconnection of magnetic field lines on both the day and nightsides of Earth's magnetosphere. The shape of these reconnecting field lines resembles the letter "X" and extends tens of Earth radii (R E = 6,371.2 km) in the dawn-dusk direction thus forming X-lines. An X-line divides space into four sectors. In one pair of opposing sectors, the magnetic field and plasma converge toward the center of the X while in the other pair, they are rapidly ejected from it. This reconnection process transforms energy stored in the magnetic field into particle kinetic and thermal energy, making it an efficient energy converter and particle accelerator (Ji et al., 2022). X-lines couple kinetic processes on proton and even electron gyroradius scales (≲0.01R E ) (Torbert et al., 2018) to space weather phenomena on global scales: such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and magnetospheric storms and substorms (∼10R E ) (Camporeale, 2019). This range of scales is so immense that its modeling has become one of the major challenges for nascent exascale computing (Ji et al., 2022).

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Section: Idrs and Reconstructed Global Reconnection Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Idrs and Reconstructed Global Reconnection Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global Structure of Magnetotail Reconnection Revealed by Mining Space Magnetometer Data

et al. 2023

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“…A recent systematic survey of MMS plasma and field data in 2017 (Rogers et al, 2019) identified 12 such magnetotail IDRs, defined as correlated reversals of the proton bulk flow velocity, v x , and the North-South magnetic field, B z , as shown in the Figure 1 inset, along with additional Hall magnetic and electric field signatures. That analysis was later extended to 2018-2020 for a total of 26 IDR events (Rogers et al, 2021) labeled here A-Z, "IDR alphabet", listed in Table 2. The second column in the table lists the starting date and time of each IDR interval found in Rogers et al (2021).…”

Section: Reconnection Features In the Equatorial Planementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The recent four-probe Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission (Burch, Moore, et al, 2016) enabled microscopic analysis of magnetotail reconnection down to electron gyroradius scales (Torbert et al, 2018). During four years of MMS observations, 26 potential X-line encounters were found in the magnetotail (Rogers et al, 2019(Rogers et al, , 2021, where explosive reconnection causes substorms (Angelopoulos et al, 2008;Angelopoulos et al, 2020;Sitnov, Stephens, et al, 2019). They were detected in the form of Ion Diffusion Regions (IDRs) characterized by reversals of the North-South component of the magnetic field, B z , and of the Sun-Earth component of the proton bulk flow velocity, v x .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global structure of magnetotail reconnection revealed by mining space magnetometer data

Stephens

Sitnov²,

Weigel

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Reconnection in the magnetotail occurs along so-called X-lines, where magnetic field lines tear and detach from plasma on microscopic spatial scales (comparable to particle gyroradii). In 2017-2020 the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission detected X-lines in the magnetotail enabling their investigation on local scales. However, the global structure and evolution of these X-lines, critical for understanding their formation and total energy conversion mechanisms, remained virtually unknown because of the intrinsically local nature of observations and the extreme sparsity of concurrent data. Here we show that mining a multi-mission archive of space magnetometer data collected over the last 26 years and then fitting a magnetic field representation modeled using flexible basis-functions faithfully reconstructs the global pattern of X-lines; 24 of the 26 modeled X-lines match (B z = 0 isocontours are within ∼ 2 Earth radii or R E ) or nearly match (B z = 2 nT isocontours are within ∼ 2R E ) the locations of the MMS encountered reconnection sites. The obtained global reconnection picture is considered in the context of substorm activity, including conventional substorms and more complex events.

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Pressure–strain interaction. II. Decomposition in magnetic field-aligned coordinates

2022

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In weakly collisional and collisionless magnetized plasmas, the pressure–strain interaction describes the rate of conversion between bulk flow and thermal energy density. In this study, we derive an analytical expression for the pressure–strain interaction in a coordinate system with an axis aligned with the local magnetic field. The result is eight groups of terms corresponding to different physical mechanisms that can contribute to the pressure–strain interaction. We provide a physical description of each term. The results are immediately of interest to weakly collisional and collisionless magnetized plasmas and the fundamental processes that happen therein, including magnetic reconnection, magnetized plasma turbulence, and collisionless shocks. The terms in the field-aligned coordinate decomposition are likely accessible to measurement with satellite observations.

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Applying Magnetic Curvature to to MMS data to identify thin current sheets relative to tail reconnection

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Global Structure of Magnetotail Reconnection Revealed by Mining Space Magnetometer Data

Global Structure of Magnetotail Reconnection Revealed by Mining Space Magnetometer Data

Global structure of magnetotail reconnection revealed by mining space magnetometer data

Pressure–strain interaction. II. Decomposition in magnetic field-aligned coordinates

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