Structure of exhaust jets produced by magnetic reconnection localized in the out‐of‐plane direction

Pritchett, P. L.

doi:10.1002/2014ja020795

Cited by 20 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 59 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Also, a clear smaller-scale (∼1-2d i ) structure has appeared within both segments, and there is also a faint precursor modulation in B z on a similar scale visible ahead of the front. As discussed in Pritchett (2015), this smaller scale structure is consistent with the growth of the ballooning/interchange instability (BICI), but it is larger than the scale expected for the lower hybrid drift instability that peaks at wavelengths satisfying k y ρ e ≈ 1 (e.g., Daughton 2003), which corresponds to a length of 0.3d i . Figure 1b shows the B z structure of the front at the later time i0 t = 53.…”

Section: Overview Of Jet Expansionsupporting

confidence: 69%

“…1a, b. Thus the ion flow is being decelerated at the front itself (Drake et al 2014;Pritchett 2015). This increase in flow speed behind the main DF is also observed in the THEMIS P1 event, with a peak speed of nearly 1000 km/s observed 45 s after the main DF.…”

Section: Overview Of Jet Expansionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…The cross-tail width of the blocking region was 24d i or about 1.5R E . The case of narrower blocking regions had been considered previously in Pritchett (2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The present 3D PIC simulation employs the same methodology as described in Pritchett (2015). The sim- i0 , where ω pe is the electron plasma frequency, i0 is the ion gyrofrequency in the B 0 field, and the mass ratio is m i /m e = 64).…”

Section: Simulation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The 24d i width case, however, was found to separate into two segments, each in the 15-20d i range. In this paper, we explore in more detail this case of a large front breaking up into two sections, as opposed to the case of expanding small fronts emphasized in Pritchett (2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Reconnection flow jets in 3D as a source of structured dipolarization fronts

Pritchett

2015

Earth Planet Sp

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Three-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations are used to investigate the propagation and breakup of a reconnection flow jet of initial cross-tail extent 24d i (∼ 1.5R E ; d i is the ion inertial length). Such a front is found to separate into two segments, with the dawnward portion propagating ahead of the duskward one. Both segments expand duskward, reaching separate lengths of 18-25d i , and both segments develop internal structures on east-west scales of 1-2d i . The currents responsible for the ramp up of B z at the fronts are confined to narrow ( d i ) ribbons whose localization is primarily associated with the electron U ey flow. The incoming ion flow is slowed down and deflected duskward at the front, and ambient ions are reflected back from the moving front. These processes create regions of enhanced T ixx both downstream and upstream of the front, while there is a local minimum at the front itself. These results help to explain the prevalence of ∼ 1R E flow jets in the plasma sheet.

show abstract

Section: Overview Of Jet Expansionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Overview Of Jet Expansionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…The cross-tail width of the blocking region was 24d i or about 1.5R E . The case of narrower blocking regions had been considered previously in Pritchett (2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Simulation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Reconnection flow jets in 3D as a source of structured dipolarization fronts

Pritchett

2015

Earth Planet Sp

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Three‐dimensional structure and kinetic features of reconnection exhaust jets

Pritchett

2016

JGR Space Physics

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The structure of exhaust jets produced by a magnetic reconnection source region of width ∼3 RE in the out‐of‐plane direction is investigated with 3‐D particle‐in‐cell simulations. The jet is found to separate into two segments, with the dawnward portion propagating ahead of, and expanding duskward in front of, the duskward one. In such conditions, an orbiting spacecraft would encounter repeated sharp Bz increases. Both segments exhibit east‐west structures on scales of a few ion inertia lengths. The narrow Jy current sheets that produce the sharp Bz increases are associated with electron flows. The ion temperature components Tixx and Tiyy display markedly different behaviors, with the former exhibiting maxima both downstream and, in some locations, upstream of the front, while the latter exhibits maxima along the y extended front. The maximum load factor E·J at the front is several times larger in 3‐D than in 2‐D, is concentrated in numerous sub‐ion‐scale enhancements, and includes a significant ion dissipation contribution.

show abstract

Substructures within a dipolarization front revealed by high‐temporal resolution Cluster observations

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The dipolarization front (DF), usually observed near the leading edge of a bursty bulk flow (BBF), is thought to carry an intense current sufficient to modify the large‐scale near‐Earth magnetotail current system. However, the physical mechanism of the current generation associated with DFs is poorly understood. This is primarily due to the limitations of conventional plasma instruments which are unable to provide a sufficient number of unaliased 3‐D distribution functions on the timescale of the DF, which usually travels past a spacecraft in only a few seconds. It is thus almost impossible to unambiguously determine the detailed plasma structure of the DF at the usual temporal resolution of such instruments. Here we present detailed plasma measurements using the Cluster Plasma Electron and Current Experiment and Cluster Ion Spectrometry‐Composition and Distribution Function ion data for an event during which it was possible to observe the full pitch angle distribution at a cadence of 1/4 s. The observations clearly show details of plasma substructure within the DF, including the presence of field‐aligned electron beams. In this event, the current density carried by the electron beam is much larger than the current obtained from the curlometer method. We also suggest that the field‐aligned current around the DF obtained from the curlometer method may have been misinterpreted in previous studies. Our results imply that the nature of the DF current system needs to be revisited using high‐resolution particle measurements, such as those observations shortly to be available from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission.

show abstract

Structure of exhaust jets produced by magnetic reconnection localized in the out‐of‐plane direction

Cited by 20 publications

References 59 publications

Reconnection flow jets in 3D as a source of structured dipolarization fronts

Reconnection flow jets in 3D as a source of structured dipolarization fronts

Three‐dimensional structure and kinetic features of reconnection exhaust jets

Substructures within a dipolarization front revealed by high‐temporal resolution Cluster observations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About