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International audience; Data are analyzed from a Magnetospheric Multiscale encounter with a dayside magnetopause reconnection region on 29 December 2016. The uniqueness of the event stems from the small ( 7 km) average spacecraft separation and the sequential sampling of an electron diffusion region with electron crescent distributions. We quantitatively investigate the earthward acceleration of magnetosheath electrons through the in-plane null by the polarization electric field EN that points radially outward from the magnetopause. The results compare favorably with previous plasma simulations with one important difference that the reconnection electric field (EM) extends throughout the region of strong EN so that both fields energize electrons in the same region. This acceleration is quantified here for the first time. As the spacecraft penetrate deeper into the region of enhanced EN, the magnetic reflection of lower-energy electrons produces a thinner crescent.

Flux transfer events (FTEs) are transient phenomena frequently observed at the Earth's magnetopause. Their usual interpretation is a flux rope moving away from the reconnection region. However, the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission revealed that magnetic reconnection sometimes occurs inside these structures, questioning their flux rope configuration. Here we investigate 229 FTE‐type structures and find reconnection signatures inside 19% of them. We analyze their large‐scale magnetic topology using electron heat flux and find that it is significantly different across the FTE reconnecting current sheets, demonstrating that they are constituted of two magnetically disconnected structures. We also find that the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) associated with reconnecting FTEs presents a strong By component. We discuss several formation mechanisms to explain these observations. In particular, the maximum magnetic shear model predicts that for large IMF By, two spatially distinct X lines coexist at the magnetopause. They can generate separate magnetic flux tubes that may become interlaced.

Magnetosheath high‐speed jets—localized dynamic pressure enhancements typically of ∼1 Earth radius in size—impact the dayside magnetopause several times per hour. Here we present the first in situ measurements suggesting that such an impact triggered magnetopause reconnection. We use observations from the five Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms spacecraft in a string‐of‐pearls configuration on 7 August 2007. The spacecraft recorded magnetopause in‐and‐out motion during an impact of a magnetosheath jet (VN∼−300 km/s along the magnetopause normal direction). There was no evidence for reconnection for the preimpact crossing, yet three probes observed reconnection after the impact. We infer that the jet impact compressed the originally thick (60–70 di), high magnetic shear (140–160° magnetopause until it was thin enough for reconnection to occur. Magnetosheath high‐speed jets could therefore act as a driver for bursty dayside reconnection.

International audience; Data from the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale mission are used to investigate asymmetric magnetic reconnection at the dayside boundary between the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind. High-resolution measurements of plasmas and fields are used to identify highly localized ( 15 electron Debye lengths) standing wave structures with large electric field amplitudes (up to 100 mV/m). These wave structures are associated with spatially oscillatory energy conversion, which appears as alternatingly positive and negative values of J · E. For small guide magnetic fields the wave structures occur in the electron stagnation region at the magnetosphere edge of the electron diffusion region. For larger guide fields the structures also occur near the reconnection X-line. This difference is explained in terms of channels for the out-of-plane current (agyrotropic electrons at the stagnation point and guide field-aligned electrons at the X-line).

We investigate a series of three small-scale flux transfer events (FTEs) associated with reconnected flux ropes, recently generated by a nearby, dayside magnetic reconnection line. The data are observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft near noon local time. We find that the associated FTEs are created by secondary magnetic reconnection and have different magnetic field topologies, which is a similar condition to that expected in the multiple X-line magnetic reconnection (MR) model. The calculated results show that the sizes of the FTEs become larger with the time elapsed and the MR reconnection jets at the FTEs are all located on the trailing and outer edges. The above features indicate that these FTEs are still in the evolutionary stage after they are ejected from the reconnection region. Our observations suggest that mesoscale or even typical size FTEs can be created from secondary MR, initially, and subsequently can evolve to a typical size in the process of spreading.

Observations of magnetic reconnection at Earth's magnetopause often display asymmetric structures that are accompanied by strong magnetic field (B) fluctuations and large-amplitude parallel electri ...

Magnetic reconnection at the Earths magnetopause is the primary process by which solar wind plasma and energy gains access to the magnetosphere. One indication that magnetic reconnection is occurring is the observation of accelerated plasma as a jet tangential to the magnetopause. The direction of ion jets along the magnetopause surface as observed by the Fast Plasma Instrument (FPI) and the Hot Plasma Composition Analyzer (HPCA) instrument on board the recently launched Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) set of spacecraft is examined. For those cases where ion jets are clearly discerned, the direction of origin compares well statistically with the predicted location of magnetic reconnection using convected solar wind observations in conjunction with the Maximum Magnetic Shear model.

We present measurements from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission taken during a reconnection event on the dayside magnetopause which includes a passage through an electron diffusion region ...

We report observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale satellites of large-amplitude, parallel, electrostatic waves associated with magnetic reconnection at the Earth's magnetopause. The observe ...

Reconnection at the Earth's magnetopause is the mechanism by which magnetic fields in different regions change topology to create open magnetic field lines that allow energy, mass, and momentum to flow into the magnetosphere. It is the primary science goal of the recently launched MMS mission to unlock the mechanism of magnetic reconnection with a novel suite of plasma and field instruments. This study investigates several magnetopause crossings in the vicinity of the X-line on 19 September 2015 and compares the observed X-line location with predictions from the Maximum Magnetic Shear model. Rotations of the interplanetary magnetic field OMF) during the magnetopause crossings together with the close proximity of the four MMS satellites are used to determine the response time of the reconnection X-line location to changes in the IMF. The reconnection location exhibits a continuous motion during slow changes in the IMF but a delayed response to sudden changes in the IMF.

Magnetospheric Multiscale observations are used to probe the structure and temperature profile of a guide field reconnection exhaust ~100 ion inertial lengths downstream from the X‐line in the Earth's magnetosheath. Asymmetric Hall electric and magnetic field signatures were detected, together with a density cavity confined near 1 edge of the exhaust and containing electron flow toward the X‐line. Electron holes were also detected both on the cavity edge and at the Hall magnetic field reversal. Predominantly parallel ion and electron heating was observed in the main exhaust, but within the cavity, electron cooling and enhanced parallel ion heating were found. This is explained in terms of the parallel electric field, which inhibits electron mixing within the cavity on newly reconnected field lines but accelerates ions. Consequently, guide field reconnection causes inhomogeneous changes in ion and electron temperature across the exhaust., Key Points A guide field reconnection exhaust was encountered by MMS in the magnetosheath ~100 ion inertial lengths downstream from the X‐lineA density cavity forms on one edge of the exhaust with embedded electron jetting toward the X‐line and electron holes on the cavity edgeThe parallel electric field causes electron cooling and ion heating in the cavity and inhomogeneous temperature profiles across the exhaust

The physical processes that control the partition of released magnetic energy between electrons and ions during reconnection is explored through particle-in-cell simulations and analytical techniques. We demonstrate that the development of a large-scale parallel electric field and its associated potential controls the relative heating of electrons and ions. The potential develops to restrain heated exhaust electrons and enhances their heating by confining electrons in the region where magnetic energy is released. Simultaneously, the potential slows ions entering the exhaust below the Alfvenic speed expected from the traditional counterstreaming picture of ion heating. Unexpectedly, the magnitude of the potential and therefore the relative partition of energy between electrons and ions is not a constant but rather depends on the upstream parameters and specifically the upstream electron normalized temperature (electron beta). These findings suggest that the fraction of magnetic energy converted into the total thermal energy may be independent of upstream parameters.

A significant fraction of the energy released by magnetotail reconnection appears to go into ion heating, but this heating is generally anisotropic. We examine ARTEMIS dual‐spacecraft observations of a long‐duration magnetotail exhaust generated by antiparallel reconnection in conjunction with particle‐in‐cell simulations, showing spatial variations in the anisotropy across the outflow far (>100d i) downstream of the X line. A consistent pattern is found in both the spacecraft data and the simulations: While the total temperature across the exhaust is rather constant, near the boundaries T i,|| dominates. The plasma is well above the firehose threshold within patchy spatial regions at |B X|∈[0.1,0.5]B 0, suggesting that the drive for the instability is strong and the instability is too weak to relax the anisotropy. At the midplane ( |BX|≲0.1B0), T i,⊥>T i,|| and ions undergo Speiser‐like motion despite the large distance from the X line., Key Points Parallel temperature peaks at the edges, perpendicular at the neutral planeFirehose instability threshold is greatly exceeded, indicating strong drivingSpeiser‐like motion persists far from X line despite large fluctuations

We surveyed 87 magnetopause reconnection exhausts detected by the THEMIS spacecraft to investigate how the amount and anisotropy of ion bulk heating depend on the inflow boundary conditions. We find that the heating, ΔTi, is correlated with the asymmetric Alfven speed, VAL,asym, based on the reconnecting magnetic field and the plasma number density measured in both inflow regions. Best fit to the data produces the empirical relation ΔTi = 0.13 miVAL,asym2, where mi is the proton mass, indicating that the increase in the ion internal (thermal) energy, 3ΔTi/2, is 20% of the available magnetic energy per proton-electron pair. The observed parallel heating generally exceeds perpendicular heating (by a factor of ~2), and there are some indications that the heating is reduced in the presence of a strong guide field. Finally, the ratio of ion to electron bulk heating is ~8 on average.

We present near-simultaneous measurements from two THEMIS spacecraft at the dayside magnetopause with a 1.5 h separation in local time. One spacecraft observes a high-density plasmaspheric plume while the other does not. Both spacecraft observe signatures of magnetic reconnection, providing a test for the changes to reconnection in local time along the magnetopause as well as the impact of high densities on the reconnection process. When the plume is present and the magnetospheric density exceeds that in the magnetosheath, the reconnection jet velocity decreases, the density within the jet increases, and the location of the faster jet is primarily on field lines with magnetosheath orientation. Slower jet velocities indicate that reconnection is occurring less efficiently. In the localized region where the plume contacts the magnetopause, the high-density plume may impede the solar wind-magnetosphere coupling by mass loading the reconnection site.

[1] We have performed a statistical study of THEMIS spacecraft crossings of the asymmetric dayside magnetopause to test the prediction that the diamagnetic drift of the X-line due to a plasma pressure gradient across the magnetopause can suppress magnetic reconnection. The study includes crossings both when reconnection exhausts were present and when they were absent in the current sheet. When we restrict the survey to the subsolar region (10

Petschek-type reconnection is expected to result in bifurcations of reconnection current sheets. In contrast, Hall reconnection simulations show smooth changes in the reconnecting magnetic field. Here we study three solar wind reconnection events where different spacecraft sample oppositely directed reconnection exhausts from a common reconnection site. The spacecraft's relative separations and measurements of the exhaust width are used to geometrically calculate each spacecraft's distance from the X line. We find that in all cases spacecraft farthest from the X line observe clearly bifurcated reconnection current sheets, while spacecraft nearer to the X line do not. These observations suggest that clear bifurcations of reconnection current sheets occur at large distances from the X line (~1000 ion skin depths) and that Petschek-type signatures are less developed close to the reconnection site. This may imply that fully developed bifurcations of reconnection current sheets are unlikely to be observed in the near-Earth magnetotail.

The Wind perigee passes covered tail distances from 6–24 RE. By use of bulk quantities and the parent distributions, we have found new features in the PSBL that had been missed previously. The PSBL consists of a unidirectional earthward streaming ion beam at the edge and another unidirectional beam inside this edge streaming in the tailward direction. Bidirectional beams are observed with higher densities, further inside the PSBL. The plasma in the region supporting the tailward streaming beams consists of the beam distribution plus an isotropic component, whereas the earthward streaming beams consists mainly of the beam distribution. These distributions yield fast flows (>400 km/s) in the earthward direction and slower flows (≈ 150 km/s) in the tailward direction. Both regions support counter streaming electron beams superposed on an isotropic component. These new findings are substantially different from previous observations and the interpretation of fast flows and ion beams in terms of a neutral line model needs to be reexamined.

The arrival of the magnetic cloud on January 10, 1997, 01:05 UT, was preceded by a 12-hour interval of increased fluctuations in the IMF orientation, which drove boundary oscillations in the magnetosphere. The GEOTAIL spacecraft, initially located near the dawnside magnetopause, experienced multiple crossings of the magnetopause: at the geosynchronous distance, GOES 9 observed weak perturbations associated with these oscillations. During this time, the POLAR spacecraft encountered the dense high-latitude boundary layer, followed by several rapid encounters with the tenuous lobe. The boundary between the mantle and the lobe was observed to be thin as the crossings lasted only 30 seconds. The source of these boundary oscillations is magnetosheath pressure variations produced by rapid IMF directional changes.

著者人数：19名, Accepted: 1997-06-11, 資料番号: SA1001237000

The WIND, GEOTAIL, and GOES 9 spacecraft were all in the nightside magnetosphere and Interball was in the solar wind when a substorm began at ∼07:25 UT on April 18, 1996. WIND and GEOTAIL were located at downstream distances of X=−12 to −14 Re. The separation between these spacecraft was ∼10 Re in the Y direction and less than ∼1 Re in Z. While the northward field component at GOES 9 began to increase immediately, little or no dipolarization was observed at WIND and GEOTAIL until a series of very rapid Bz increases were observed ∼25–30 min later. About ∼1–2 min prior to each dipolarization event at WIND and GEOTAIL an earthward flow burst with peak speeds of 100–500 km/s was initiated. The duration of these bursty bulk flows were 1–7 min. These unique observations are interpreted as strong evidence for the existence of spatially localized, but sometimes temporally overlapping flow bursts in the near-tail during substorm expansion phase which result, cumulatively, in sufficient earthward magnetic flux transport to produce the well known dipolarization at geosynchronous orbit.

We present detailed measurements from the WIND 3D Plasma and Energetic Particle experiment of electron distributions in the deep foreshock, well away from the foreshock boundaries. Both electrons escaping from the magnetosheath and solar wind electrons reflected by the strong magnetic field of the shock are observed. The loss cone angle that separates the reflected electrons from the escaping magnetosheath electrons can be determined as a function of electron energy. At lower energies, the loss cone angle increases because the cross-shock potential tends to pull electrons into the magnetosheath. The loss cone angle is typically ≲ 30° at energies ≳ 100 eV, corresponding to peak shock magnetic field to local magnetic field ratio of ≳ 5, while the loss cone variation with energy gives typical shock potentials of ∼85 V. Thus the measurements of back-streaming foreshock electrons can be used as a tool to remotely probe the characteristics of the bow shock.

On a rapid inward pass through the subsolar magnetosheath (MSH) and magnetopause (MP), the WIND spacecraft initially encountered a moderately-compressed low-magnetic shear MP (at a radial distance of 8.6 RE), followed by multiple crossings of a high-shear MP (at 8.2 RE). The large shear resulted from a southward turning of the external MSH field. Strong magnetic field pile-up, a plasma depletion layer (PDL), and plasma flow acceleration and rotation to become more perpendicular to the local magnetic field were observed in the MSH on approach to the low-shear MP. At the high-shear MP, magnetic reconnection flows were detected, and there are some indications that plasma depletion effects were weak or absent in the adjacent MSH. We attribute the changes in the MP and MSH properties to the sudden rotation of the MSH field direction. In essence, the structure of the MP regions under the unusually high solar wind ram pressure condition in this case does not seem to be qualitatively different from that observed under more typical (less compressed) conditions. Also similar to previous observations, the mirror mode is marginally unstable in the MSH proper, but is stable in the PDL. In this region, the proton temperature anisotropy is inversely correlated with βp∥. Finally, the electron distributions are observed to be anisotropic (Te⟂/Te∥ ∼1.3) throughout the entire MSH.