Thick Escaping Magnetospheric Ion Layer in Magnetopause Reconnection with MMS Observations

The structure of asymmetric magnetopause reconnection is explored with multiple point and high-time-resolution ion velocity distribution observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. On 9 September 2015, reconnection took place at the magnetopause, which separated the magnetosheath and th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2016-06, Vol.43 (12), p.6028-6035
Main Authors: Nagai, T., Kitamura, N., Hasagawa, H., Shinohara, I., Yokota, S., Saito, Y., Nakamura, R., Giles, B. L., Pollock, C., Moore, T. E., Dorelli, J. C., Paterson, W. R., Chandler, M. O., Coffey, V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asymptotic properties
Constants
Density ratio
Geophysics
Ion distribution
Ion velocity
Ions
Magnetic field
Magnetic fields
magnetic reconnection
Magnetopause
Magnetopause reconnection
Magnetosheath
Magnetosphere
Magnetospheres
Magnetospheric ions
Plasma Physics
Sciences of the Universe
Velocity
Velocity distribution
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Summary:The structure of asymmetric magnetopause reconnection is explored with multiple point and high-time-resolution ion velocity distribution observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. On 9 September 2015, reconnection took place at the magnetopause, which separated the magnetosheath and the magnetosphere with a density ratio of 25:2. The magnetic field intensity was rather constant, even higher in the asymptotic magnetosheath. The reconnected field line region had a width of approximately 540 km. In this region, streaming and gyrating ions are discriminated. The large extension of the reconnected field line region toward the magnetosheath can be identified where a thick layer of escaping magnetospheric ions was formed. The scale of the magnetosheath side of the reconnected field line region relative to the scale of its magnetospheric side was 4.5:1.
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/2016GL069085