Ion acceleration and reflection on magnetotail antidipolarization fronts

Antidipolarization fronts (ADFs), tailward moving structures in the Earth's magnetotail with sharp decreases in their magnetic Bz component, are thought to be mirror images of earthward propagating dipolarization fronts (DFs) generated on the opposite side of the reconnection site. We use ARTEM...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2015-11, Vol.42 (21), p.9166-9175
Main Authors: Zhou, Xu-Zhi, Pan, Dong-Xiao, Angelopoulos, Vassilis, Liu, Jiang, Runov, Andrei, Li, Shan-Shan, Li, Jia-Zheng, Zong, Qiu-Gang, Fu, Sui-Yan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acceleration
Analogies
antidipolarization front
Arrivals
Computer simulation
dipolarization front
Direction
Dispersion
Earth
Earth science
Electrodynamics
Energy
Fronts
Geophysics
Ion acceleration
Ion flux
Ion fluxes
ion reflection
Ion trajectories
Ions
Magnetic fields
Magnetotails
Mathematical models
Moon
Numerical simulations
Precursors
Propagation
reconnection front
Reflection
Signatures
Simulation
Stellar mass
Structures
Sun
THEMIS statistics
Trajectories
Turbulence
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Summary:Antidipolarization fronts (ADFs), tailward moving structures in the Earth's magnetotail with sharp decreases in their magnetic Bz component, are thought to be mirror images of earthward propagating dipolarization fronts (DFs) generated on the opposite side of the reconnection site. We use ARTEMIS (Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun) observations and numerical simulations to study the role of ADFs in accelerating and reflecting ambient plasma sheet ions. In both case and statistical observations before ADF arrival, tailward streaming, energy‐dispersed ions are seen first. After about 1 min, the ion fluxes are enhanced significantly with the peak shifted duskward, and then the peak gradually shifts back to the tailward direction until the ADF arrives. All these signatures are reproduced by our simulation model of ion acceleration and reflection on ADFs. We further examine typical ion trajectories before and after ADF reflection, to understand these seemingly complicated ion signatures as well as their similarities with and differences from the DF preceding signatures. Key Points Ion distributions before ADF arrival are complicated and different from DF precursor signatures Such signatures are reproduced by simulation model of ion acceleration and reflection on ADFs Similarities and differences between ADF and DF precursor signatures are discussed
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/2015GL065865