Reconnection inside a Dipolarization Front of a diverging Earthward fast flow
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Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We examine a Dipolarization Front (DF) event with an embedded electron diffusion region (EDR), observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft on 08 September 2018 at 14:51:30 UT in the Earth's magnetotail by applying multi-scale multipoint analysis methods. In order to study the large-scale context of this DF, we use conjunction observations of the Cluster spacecraft together with MMS. A polynomial magnetic field reconstruction technique is applied to MMS data to characterize the embedded electron current sheet including its velocity and the X-line exhaust opening angle. Our results show that the MMS and Cluster spacecraft were located in two counter-rotating vortex flows, and such flows may distort a flux tube in a way that the local magnetic shear angle is increased and localized magnetic reconnection may be triggered. Using multi-point data from MMS we further show that the local normalized reconnection rate is in the range of R ∼ 0.16 to 0.18. We find a highly asymmetric electron in- and outflow structure, consistent with previous simulations on strong guide-field reconnection events. This study shows that magnetic reconnection may not only take place at large-scale stable magnetopause or magnetotail current sheets but also in transient localized current sheets, produced as a consequence of the interaction between the fast Earthward flows and the Earth's dipole field.
Date Issued
2024-01
Date Acceptance
2023-12-05
Citation
JGR: Space Physics, 2024, 129 (1)
ISSN
2169-9402
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Journal / Book Title
JGR: Space Physics
Volume
129
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2024. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Hosner, M., Nakamura, R., Schmid, D., Nakamura, T. K. M., Panov, E. V., Volwerk, M., et al. (2024). Reconnection inside a dipolarization front of a diverging Earthward fast flow. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 129, e2023JA031976., which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JA031976. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.
Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2023ja031976
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
e2023JA031976
Date Publish Online
2024-01-04