| 1. |
- Lapenta, G., et al.
(författare)
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On the origin of the crescent-shaped distributions observed by MMS at the magnetopause
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics. - 2169-9380 .- 2169-9402. ; 122:2, s. 2024-2039
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- MMS observations recently confirmed that crescent-shaped electron velocity distributions in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field occur in the electron diffusion region near reconnection sites at Earth's magnetopause. In this paper, we reexamine the origin of the crescent-shaped distributions in the light of our new finding that ions and electrons are drifting in opposite directions when displayed in magnetopause boundary-normal coordinates. Therefore, E x B drifts cannot cause the crescent shapes. We performed a high-resolution multiscale simulation capturing subelectron skin-depth scales. The results suggest that the crescent-shaped distributions are caused by meandering orbits without necessarily requiring any additional processes found at the magnetopause such as the highly asymmetric magnetopause ambipolar electric field. We use an adiabatic Hamiltonian model of particle motion to confirm that conservation of canonical momentum in the presence of magnetic field gradients causes the formation of crescent shapes without invoking asymmetries or the presence of an E x B drift. An important consequence of this finding is that we expect crescent-shaped distributions also to be observed in the magnetotail, a prediction that MMS will soon be able to test.
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| 2. |
- Zhou, M., et al.
(författare)
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Coalescence of Macroscopic Flux Ropes at the Subsolar Magnetopause : Magnetospheric Multiscale Observations
- 2017
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - : American Physical Society. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 119:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report unambiguous in situ observation of the coalescence of macroscopic flux ropes by the magnetospheric multiscale (MMS) mission. Two coalescing flux ropes with sizes of similar to 1 R-E were identified at the subsolar magnetopause by the occurrence of an asymmetric quadrupolar signature in the normal component of the magnetic field measured by the MMS spacecraft. An electron diffusion region (EDR) with a width of four local electron inertial lengths was embedded within the merging current sheet. The EDR was characterized by an intense parallel electric field, significant energy dissipation, and suprathermal electrons. Although the electrons were organized by a large guide field, the small observed electron pressure nongyrotropy may be sufficient to support a significant fraction of the parallel electric field within the EDR. Since the flux ropes are observed in the exhaust region, we suggest that secondary EDRs are formed further downstream of the primary reconnection line between the magnetosheath and magnetospheric fields.
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