Magnetic Reconnection, Turbulence, and Particle Acceleration: Observations in the Earth's Magnetotail
File(s)Ergun_GRL_2018_accepted.pdf (3.25 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We report observations of turbulent dissipation and particle acceleration from large-amplitude electric fields (E) associated with strong magnetic field (B) fluctuations in the Earth's plasma sheet. The turbulence occurs in a region of depleted density with anti-earthward flows followed by earthward flows suggesting ongoing magnetic reconnection. In the turbulent region, ions and electrons have a significant increase in energy, occasionally > 100 keV, and strong variation. There are numerous occurrences of |E| > 100 mV/m including occurrences of large potentials ( > 1 kV) parallel to B and occurrences with extraordinarily large J · E (J is current density). In this event, we find that the perpendicular contribution of J · E with frequencies near or below the ion cyclotron frequency (f ci ) provide the majority net positive J · E. Large-amplitude parallel E events with frequencies above f ci to several times the lower hybrid frequency provide significant dissipation and can result in energetic electron acceleration.
Date Issued
2018-03-26
Date Acceptance
2018-03-21
Citation
Geophysical Research Letters, 2018, 45 (8), pp.3338-3347
ISSN
0094-8276
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
3338
End Page
3347
Journal / Book Title
Geophysical Research Letters
Volume
45
Issue
8
Copyright Statement
© 2018 American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Ergun, R. E., Goodrich, K. A., Wilder, F. D.,
Ahmadi, N., Holmes, J. C., Eriksson, S.,
et al. (2018). Magnetic reconnection,
turbulence, and particle acceleration:
Observations in the Earth’s magnetotail.
Geophysical Research Letters, 45,
3338–3347. https://doi.org/10.1002/
2018GL076993
Ahmadi, N., Holmes, J. C., Eriksson, S.,
et al. (2018). Magnetic reconnection,
turbulence, and particle acceleration:
Observations in the Earth’s magnetotail.
Geophysical Research Letters, 45,
3338–3347. https://doi.org/10.1002/
2018GL076993
Sponsor
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Grant Number
ST/N000692/1
Subjects
MD Multidisciplinary
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-03-26