Reconstruction of the Electron Diffusion Region of Magnetotail Reconnection Seen by the MMS Spacecraft on 11 July 2017

Hasegawa, Hiroshi; Denton, R. E.; Nakamura, R.; Genestreti, K. J.; Nakamura, Takuma; Hwang, Kyoung‐Joo; Phan, T. D.; Torbert, R. B.; Burch, J. L.; Giles, B. L.; Gershman, D. J.; Russell, C. T.; Strangeway, R. J.; Lindqvist, Per‐Arne; Khotyaintsev, Yuri V.; Ergun, R. E.; Kitamura, Naritoshi; Saito, Y.

doi:10.1029/2018ja026051

Cited by 24 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…The V e,l, O‐L reversal (250 ± 150 km/s in Figure 4b; marked by the vertical blue line) and the reversal in B l O‐L (Figure 4a; marked by the vertical black line) are separated by ~0.9 s, suggesting the displacement of the stagnant point from the X‐line along the l direction (Hasegawa et al, 2019; Hwang et al, 2019). Around the V e,l, O‐L reversal, the out‐of‐plane V e,m, O‐L (Figure 4b) increases and the parallel heated electron flux is enhanced (red arrow in Figure 4c); J·E′ is negative (Figure 4e), which represents a transfer of energy from the plasma to the fields and has been reported at the outer edge of the EDR (Hwang et al, 2017) or in association with waves (Swisdak et al, 2018; Figure 3k).…”

Section: Reconnection Occurring In/around the Flux Ropementioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetic Reconnection Inside a Flux Rope Induced by Kelvin‐Helmholtz Vortices

et al. 2020

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On 5 May 2017, MMS observed a crater-type flux rope on the dawnside tailward magnetopause with fluctuations. The boundary-normal analysis shows that the fluctuations can be attributed to nonlinear Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) waves. Reconnection signatures such as flow reversals and Joule dissipation were identified at the leading and trailing edges of the flux rope. In particular, strong northward electron jets observed at the trailing edge indicated midlatitude reconnection associated with the 3-D structure of the KH vortex. The scale size of the flux rope, together with reconnection signatures, strongly supports the interpretation that the flux rope was generated locally by KH vortex-induced reconnection. The center of the flux rope also displayed signatures of guide-field reconnection (out-of-plane electron jets, parallel electron heating, and Joule dissipation). These signatures indicate that an interface between two interlinked flux tubes was undergoing interaction, causing a local magnetic depression, resulting in an M-shaped crater flux rope, as supported by reconstruction.Plain Language Summary Magnetic reconnection and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI), two of the most fundamental physical processes occurring within the heliosphere and throughout the Universe, often occur simultaneously on the Earth's magnetopause. Previous studies indicate the importance of nonlinearly developed KH waves, which produce multiple kinetic layers facilitating reconnection both in and out of the velocity shear plane and resulting in the magnetic flux rope. However, these studies significantly lacked detailed in situ observations in quantity as well as appropriate 3-D analyses of the structure of the KH vortex-induced flux rope. In this paper, we use detailed observations by the MMS spacecraft to investigate both 2-D and 3-D structures of the flux rope developed along the KH waves. We found that two flux tubes interact through reconnection to form a single combined structure, which can explain the occurrence of M-shaped crater flux rope.

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Section: Reconnection Occurring In/around the Flux Ropementioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetic Reconnection Inside a Flux Rope Induced by Kelvin‐Helmholtz Vortices

et al. 2020

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“…The MMS mission has for the first time enabled sufficiently accurate measurements of the electric current density with the plasma instruments (e.g., , and that capability allowed for the development of a new method for the invariant axis orientation of steady, 2-D structures (Hasegawa et al 2019). The method can be used to estimate the orientation of the X line and flux rope axis from single-spacecraft measurements of the magnetic field and current density.…”

Section: D-based Coordinate System For a 2-d Structure Based On Currementioning

confidence: 99%

Dimensionality, Coordinate System and Reference Frame for Analysis of In-Situ Space Plasma and Field Data

et al. 2019

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In the analysis of in-situ space plasma and field data, an establishment of the coordinate system and the frame of reference, helps us greatly simplify a given problem and provides the framework that enables a clear understanding of physical processes by ordering the experimental data. For example, one of the most important tasks of space data analysis is to compare the data with simulations and theory, which is facilitated by an appropriate choice of coordinate system and reference frame. While in simulations and theoretical work the establishment of the coordinate system (generally based on the dimensionality or dimension number of the field quantities being studied) and the reference frame (normally moving with the structure of interest) is often straightforward, in space data analysis these are not defined a priori, and need to be deduced from an analysis of the data itself. Although various ways of building a dimensionality-based (D-based) coordinate system (i.e., one that takes account of the dimensionality, e.g., 1-D, 2-D, or 3-D, of the observed system/field), and a reference frame moving along with the structure have been used in space plasma data analysis for several decades, in recent years some noteworthy approaches have been proposed. In this paper, we will review the past and recent approaches in space data analysis for the determination of a structure's dimensionality and the building of D-based coordinate system and a proper moving frame, from which one can directly compare with simulations and theory. Along with the determination of such coordinate systems and proper frame, the variant axis/normal of 1-D (or planar) structures, and the invariant axis of 2-D structures are determined and the proper frame velocity for moving structures is found. These are found

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“…A negative-topositive change in B l follows at~2234:02.8 UT (the vertical dashed blue line, "c"). Figure 1b, adopted from Figure 6 of Hasegawa et al (2019), illustrates possible magnetic field geometries in the l-n plane shown by blue lines with electron streamlines as dashed red arrows. At~2234:03.3 UT (the vertical dashed green line, "d"), V e,l changes from negative to positive, representing tailward-to-earthward outflow jets.…”

Section: Overview Of the Eventmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(b) A simplified sketch (adopted fromFigure 6ofHasegawa et al, 2019) illustrating possible magnetic field geometries in the l-n plane seen in blue lines with electron streamlines as dashed red arrows. (b) A simplified sketch (adopted fromFigure 6ofHasegawa et al, 2019) illustrating possible magnetic field geometries in the l-n plane seen in blue lines with electron streamlines as dashed red arrows.…”

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Electron Vorticity Indicative of the Electron Diffusion Region of Magnetic Reconnection

Hwang

Choi

Dokgo

et al. 2019

Geophysical Research Letters

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While vorticity defined as the curl of the velocity has been broadly used in fluid and plasma physics, this quantity has been underutilized in space physics due to low time resolution observations. We report Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) observations of enhanced electron vorticity in the vicinity of the electron diffusion region of magnetic reconnection. On 11 July 2017 MMS traversed the magnetotail current sheet, observing tailward‐to‐earthward outflow reversal, current‐carrying electron jets in the direction along the electron meandering motion or out‐of‐plane direction, agyrotropic electron distribution functions, and dissipative signatures. At the edge of the electron jets, the electron vorticity increased with magnitudes greater than the electron gyrofrequency. The out‐of‐plane velocity shear along distance from the current sheet leads to the enhanced vorticity. This, in turn, contributes to the magnetic field perturbations observed by MMS. These observations indicate that electron vorticity can act as a proxy for delineating the electron diffusion region of magnetic reconnection.

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Reconstruction of the Electron Diffusion Region of Magnetotail Reconnection Seen by the MMS Spacecraft on 11 July 2017

Cited by 24 publications

References 56 publications

Magnetic Reconnection Inside a Flux Rope Induced by Kelvin‐Helmholtz Vortices

Magnetic Reconnection Inside a Flux Rope Induced by Kelvin‐Helmholtz Vortices

Dimensionality, Coordinate System and Reference Frame for Analysis of In-Situ Space Plasma and Field Data

Electron Vorticity Indicative of the Electron Diffusion Region of Magnetic Reconnection

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