Generation and properties of in vivo flux transfer events

Zhang, Hui; Kivelson, M. G.; Angelopoulos, V.; Khurana, K. K.; Pu, Z. Y.; Walker, Raymond J.; McPherron, R. L.; Hsu, T.; Zong, Qiugang; Phan, T. D.

doi:10.1029/2011ja017166

Cited by 28 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Consequently, this flux rope has positive (right) handedness. Signatures of active multiple X‐line FTE formation such as converging flows reversing across the FTE or bi‐directional electrons on the magnetosheath side [ Hasegawa et al , 2010; Øieroset et al , 2011] were not captured in this event, which is not unusual given their rarity in the data [ Zhang et al , 2012]. Other FTEs were also observed, for example at 18:05 UT and 19:08 UT.…”

Section: Themis P4 Subsolar Magnetopause Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survival of flux transfer event (FTE) flux ropes far along the tail magnetopause

et al. 2012

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[1] During intervals of southward IMF, magnetic reconnection can result in the formation of flux transfer events (FTEs) on the dayside magnetopause which travel along the magnetopause in the anti-sunward direction. Of particular interest is their fate and the role they play transporting solar wind plasma into the magnetosphere. We present the discovery of FTEs far along the distant tail magnetopause (x = À67 Earth radii) using data from ARTEMIS on the dusk flank magnetopause under southward/duskward IMF conditions. The identification of several events is further supported by excellent fits to a force-free flux rope model. The axis of each structure is principally north-south, i.e., perpendicular to the Sun-Earth line. Simultaneous observations by THEMIS on the dayside magnetopause indicate that FTEs are being produced there, although perhaps 2-4 times smaller in size. The convection time from the dayside magnetopause to ARTEMIS is 30 min, and the FTEs have a flux content comparable to those typically observed on the dayside magnetopause, indicating that these features are in quasi-equilibrium as they are convected downtail. By considering the relative orientations of the FTEs observed by THEMIS and ARTEMIS, the magnetic field geometry is consistent with the FTEs being produced on the dayside magnetopause along an extended X-line in the presence of IMF B y and bending as they are convected to the flanks.

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Section: Themis P4 Subsolar Magnetopause Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survival of flux transfer event (FTE) flux ropes far along the tail magnetopause

et al. 2012

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“…The successively observed shear flow profile and the FTE signatures by the THEMIS spacecraft and the statistical study of the FTE evolution by Zhang et al . [] give a clear evidence that the out‐of‐plane shear flow would strongly influence the magnetic reconnection dynamics in the Hall MHD and generate the FTE signature during reconnection. In order to closely compare with the observations, the simulation parameters are chosen to be ΔL = 2679 km, ΔN = 11, 575 km, Δv ≈ 150 km/s, a ≈ 340 km, v A ≈ 400 km/s,

l_{italicsz} = \frac{italicΔL}{a} \approx 8

l_{italicsx} = \frac{1}{2} \frac{italicΔN}{a} \approx 17

v_{s 0} = \frac{italicΔv}{v_{A}} \approx 0.4

, which is the best fit to the observational data, as shown in Figure .…”

Section: An Fte Event Observed By Themis On 12 July 2007mentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of out‐of‐plane shear flow on Hall magnetic reconnection and FTE generation

et al. 2013

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[1] Magnetic reconnection driven by an out-of-plane shear flow is carried out based on the three-dimensional Hall magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code. The simulation results indicate that an out-of-plane shear flow can drive a secondary tearing instability to quickly form a magnetic island without a guide field or a flux rope with a guide field. It is found that the size of the flux rope within~240 Alfven time reaches about 20a (a is the initial current sheet thickness) that is roughly one Earth radius, the typical scale of Flux Transfer Event (FTE) observed at the dayside magnetopause. From a special simulation case based on the THEMIS data, it is found that an observed FTE is well reproduced by the Hall MHD simulation, which may give some clues on the generation mechanism of FTE.

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“…Recent in situ observations revealed that flux ropes could be flanked by two converging plasma jets, indicating these flux ropes are still active, and possibly generated by multiple, or even sequential, X-line reconnection (Hasegawa et al, 2010;Øieroset et al, 2011;Pu et al, 2013). Such active flux ropes are relatively less often observed in a statistical study (Zhang et al, 2012); thus, X lines flanking flux ropes might be short-lived once these flux ropes convect away from the generation region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetic depression and electron transport in an ion-scale flux rope associated with Kelvin–Helmholtz waves

Tang

Wang

et al. 2018

Ann. Geophys.

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Abstract. We report an ion-scale magnetic flux rope (the size of the flux rope is ∼ 8.5 ion inertial lengths) at the trailing edge of Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) waves observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission on 27 September 2016, which is likely generated by multiple X-line reconnection. The currents of this flux rope are highly filamentary: in the central flux rope, the current flows are mainly parallel to the magnetic field, supporting a local magnetic field increase at about 7 nT, while at the edges the current filaments are predominantly along the antiparallel direction, which induce an opposing field that causes a significant magnetic depression along the axis direction (> 20 nT), meaning the overall magnetic field of this flux rope is depressed compared to the ambient magnetic field. Thus, this flux rope, accompanied by the plasma thermal pressure enhancement in the center, is referred to as a crater type. Intense lower hybrid drift waves (LHDWs) are found at the magnetospheric edge of the flux rope, and the wave potential is estimated to be ∼ 17 % of the electron temperature. Though LHDWs may be stabilized by the mechanism of electron resonance broadening, these waves could still effectively enable diffusive electron transports in the cross-field direction, corresponding to a local density dip. This indicates LHDWs could play important roles in the evolution of crater flux ropes.

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Generation and properties of in vivo flux transfer events

Cited by 28 publications

References 52 publications

Survival of flux transfer event (FTE) flux ropes far along the tail magnetopause

Survival of flux transfer event (FTE) flux ropes far along the tail magnetopause

The influence of out‐of‐plane shear flow on Hall magnetic reconnection and FTE generation

Magnetic depression and electron transport in an ion-scale flux rope associated with Kelvin–Helmholtz waves

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