Observations of Turbulence Generated by Magnetic Reconnection

Eastwood, J. P.; Phan, T. D.; Bale, S. D.; Tjulin, Anders

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.102.035001

Cited by 158 publications

(177 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…[17] Our results are supplements to the results obtained by Eastwood et al [2009], who have shown that, in the reconnection diffusion region, low-frequency fluctuations for parallel propagation are carried by whistler modes. The difference between these two cases may arise from the difference in the plasma b and guide field strength in these two events.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 42%

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Wave properties in the magnetic reconnection diffusion region with high β: Application of the k‐filtering method to Cluster multispacecraft data

et al. 2010

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[1] Magnetic reconnection is a crucial physical process in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. Plasma waves are believed to provide the dissipation mechanism in magnetic reconnection. In this paper we analyze the properties of low-frequency waves in a magnetotail reconnection diffusion region with a small guide field and high b. Using the k-filtering method on the magnetic field data measured by Cluster spacecraft, we found that low-frequency waves in the diffusion region were highly oblique propagating mode. We compared the measured dispersion relation with theoretical ones calculated using the linear (hot) two-fluid and Vlasov-Maxwell theory. It is found that the observed waves in the diffusion region (with high plasma b) follow the dispersion relation of the Alfvén-Whistler wave mode. Comparisons with previous simulations and observational results are also discussed.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 42%

“…The electric field is presented in the spin plane (DSI), while the magnetic field is presented in the GSE coordinates. The PSDs were calculated using the multitaper method [Percival and Walden, 1993] as by Eastwood et al [2009]. At a low frequency (f sc < 0.35 Hz), the two PSDs show a similar trend (or scaling).…”

Section: Overview Of the Cluster Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wave properties in the magnetic reconnection diffusion region with high β: Application of the k‐filtering method to Cluster multispacecraft data

et al. 2010

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“…Energy spectra are generally similar to those in the solar wind, with spectral exponents close to −5/3 and −7/3 at scales above and below the ion gyroradius/ ion skin depth (since β 0.1-10, these are nearly the same), respectively (see Table 1 in Zimbardo et al 2010). The relation between observed turbulence in the magnetosphere and enhanced reconnection speeds is still under debate in the literature (Eastwood et al 2009). The original LV99 theory does not apply in the situation that ρ i Δ > ρ e , but a version of LV99 based on EMHD might provide some insight.…”

Section: Turbulent Versus Collisionless Reconnectionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Fast Magnetic Reconnection and Spontaneous Stochasticity

Eyink

Lazarían²,

Vishniac

2011

ApJ

179

260

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Magnetic field lines in astrophysical plasmas are expected to be frozen-in at scales larger than the ion gyroradius. The rapid reconnection of magnetic-flux structures with dimensions vastly larger than the gyroradius requires a breakdown in the standard Alfvén flux-freezing law. We attribute this breakdown to ubiquitous MHD plasma turbulence with power-law scaling ranges of velocity and magnetic energy spectra. Lagrangian particle trajectories in such environments become "spontaneously stochastic," so that infinitely many magnetic field lines are advected to each point and must be averaged to obtain the resultant magnetic field. The relative distance between initial magnetic field lines which arrive at the same final point depends upon the properties of two-particle turbulent dispersion. We develop predictions based on the phenomenological Goldreich & Sridhar theory of strong MHD turbulence and on weak MHD turbulence theory. We recover the predictions of the Lazarian & Vishniac theory for the reconnection rate of large-scale magnetic structures. Lazarian & Vishniac also invoked "spontaneous stochasticity," but of the field lines rather than of the Lagrangian trajectories. More recent theories of fast magnetic reconnection appeal to microscopic plasma processes that lead to additional terms in the generalized Ohm's law, such as the collisionless Hall term. We estimate quantitatively the effect of such processes on the inertial-range turbulence dynamics and find them to be negligible in most astrophysical environments. For example, the predictions of the Lazarian & Vishniac theory are unchanged in Hall MHD turbulence with an extended inertial range, whenever the ion skin depth δ i is much smaller than the turbulent integral length or injection-scale L i .

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“…In the case of a solar flare, singular reconnection sites can be considered; however, in the majority of cases one has to deal with multiple reconnection sites at many scales. The interplay between these scales and the scale at which the reconnection occurs suggests cross-scale coupling with the possibility of turbulent reconnection [44][45][46]. The final article in this theme issue is a topical review by Lazarian et al [47] that discusses the topic of turbulent reconnection.…”

Section: Synopsis Of the Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Dissipation and heating in solar wind turbulence: from the macro to the micro and back again

Kiyani

Osman

Chapman

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

165

143

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The past decade has seen a flurry of research activity focused on discerning the physics of kinetic scale turbulence in high-speed astrophysical plasma flows. By ‘kinetic’ we mean spatial scales on the order of or, in particular, smaller than the ion inertial length or the ion gyro-radius—the spatial scales at which the ion and electron bulk velocities decouple and considerable change can be seen in the ion distribution functions. The motivation behind most of these studies is to find the ultimate fate of the energy cascade of plasma turbulence, and thereby the channels by which the energy in the system is dissipated. This brief Introduction motivates the case for a themed issue on this topic and introduces the topic of turbulent dissipation and heating in the solar wind. The theme issue covers the full breadth of studies: from theory and models, massive simulations of these models and observational studies from the highly rich and vast amount of data collected from scores of heliospheric space missions since the dawn of the space age. A synopsis of the theme issue is provided, where a brief description of all the contributions is discussed and how they fit together to provide an over-arching picture on the highly topical subject of dissipation and heating in turbulent collisionless plasmas in general and in the solar wind in particular.

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Observations of Turbulence Generated by Magnetic Reconnection

Cited by 158 publications

References 23 publications

Wave properties in the magnetic reconnection diffusion region with high β: Application of the k‐filtering method to Cluster multispacecraft data

Wave properties in the magnetic reconnection diffusion region with high β: Application of the k‐filtering method to Cluster multispacecraft data

Fast Magnetic Reconnection and Spontaneous Stochasticity

Dissipation and heating in solar wind turbulence: from the macro to the micro and back again

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