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Bose S, Fox W, Ji H, Yoo J, Goodman A, Alt A, Yamada M. Conversion of Magnetic Energy to Plasma Kinetic Energy During Guide Field Magnetic Reconnection in the Laboratory. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2024; 132:205102. [PMID: 38829091 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.132.205102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
We present laboratory measurements showing the two-dimensional (2D) structure of energy conversion during magnetic reconnection with a guide field over the electron and ion diffusion regions, resolving the separate energy deposition on electrons and ions. We find that the electrons are energized by the parallel electric field at two locations, at the X line and around the separatrices. On the other hand, the ions are energized ballistically by the perpendicular electric field in the vicinity of the high-density separatrices. An energy balance calculation by evaluating the terms of the Poynting theorem shows that 40% of the magnetic energy is converted to particle energy, 2/3 of which is transferred to ions and 1/3 to electrons. Further analysis suggests that the energy deposited on particles manifests mostly in the form of thermal kinetic energy in the diffusion regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayak Bose
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA
| | - William Fox
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, New Jersey 08540, USA
| | - Hantao Ji
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, New Jersey 08540, USA
| | - Jongsoo Yoo
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA
| | - Aaron Goodman
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, New Jersey 08540, USA
| | - Andrew Alt
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, New Jersey 08540, USA
| | - Masaaki Yamada
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA
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2
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Ji H, Yoo J, Fox W, Yamada M, Argall M, Egedal J, Liu YH, Wilder R, Eriksson S, Daughton W, Bergstedt K, Bose S, Burch J, Torbert R, Ng J, Chen LJ. Laboratory Study of Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2023; 219:76. [PMID: 38023292 PMCID: PMC10651714 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-023-01024-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
A concise review is given on the past two decades' results from laboratory experiments on collisionless magnetic reconnection in direct relation with space measurements, especially by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. Highlights include spatial structures of electromagnetic fields in ion and electron diffusion regions as a function of upstream symmetry and guide field strength, energy conversion and partitioning from magnetic field to ions and electrons including particle acceleration, electrostatic and electromagnetic kinetic plasma waves with various wavelengths, and plasmoid-mediated multiscale reconnection. Combined with the progress in theoretical, numerical, and observational studies, the physics foundation of fast reconnection in collisionless plasmas has been largely established, at least within the parameter ranges and spatial scales that were studied. Immediate and long-term future opportunities based on multiscale experiments and space missions supported by exascale computation are discussed, including dissipation by kinetic plasma waves, particle heating and acceleration, and multiscale physics across fluid and kinetic scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Ji
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, 08544 New Jersey USA
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
| | - J. Yoo
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
| | - W. Fox
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
| | - M. Yamada
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
| | - M. Argall
- Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, 8 College Road, Durham, 03824 New Hampshire USA
| | - J. Egedal
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1150 University Avenue, Madison, 53706 Wisconsin USA
| | - Y.-H. Liu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, 17 Fayerweather Hill Road, Hanover, 03755 New Hampshire USA
| | - R. Wilder
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 701 S. Nedderman Drive, Arlington, 76019 Texas USA
| | - S. Eriksson
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, 80303 Colorado USA
| | - W. Daughton
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, 87545 New Mexico USA
| | - K. Bergstedt
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, 08544 New Jersey USA
| | - S. Bose
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
| | - J. Burch
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, 78238 Texas USA
| | - R. Torbert
- Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, 8 College Road, Durham, 03824 New Hampshire USA
| | - J. Ng
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, 08543 New Jersey USA
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, 4296 Stadium Drive, College Park, 20742 Maryland USA
- Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 130, Greenbelt, 20771 Maryland USA
| | - L.-J. Chen
- Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 130, Greenbelt, 20771 Maryland USA
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3
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Hasegawa H, Denton RE, Dokgo K, Hwang K, Nakamura TKM, Burch JL. Ion-Scale Magnetic Flux Rope Generated From Electron-Scale Magnetopause Current Sheet: Magnetospheric Multiscale Observations. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. SPACE PHYSICS 2023; 128:e2022JA031092. [PMID: 38440152 PMCID: PMC10909477 DOI: 10.1029/2022ja031092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
We present in-depth analysis of three southward-moving meso-scale (ion-to magnetohydrodynamic-scale) flux transfer events (FTEs) and subsequent crossing of a reconnecting magnetopause current sheet (MPCS), which were observed on 8 December 2015 by the Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft in the subsolar region under southward and duskward magnetosheath magnetic field conditions. We aim to understand the generation mechanism of ion-scale magnetic flux ropes (ISFRs) and to reveal causal relationship among magnetic field structures, electromagnetic energy conversion, and kinetic processes in magnetic reconnection layers. Results from magnetic field reconstruction methods are consistent with a flux rope with a length of about one ion inertial length growing from an electron-scale current sheet (ECS) in the MPCS, supporting the idea that ISFRs can be generated through secondary reconnection in an ECS. Grad-Shafranov reconstruction applied to the three FTEs shows that the FTEs had axial orientations similar to that of the ISFR. This suggests that these FTEs also formed through the same secondary reconnection process, rather than multiple X-line reconnection at spatially separated locations. Four-spacecraft observations of electron pitch-angle distributions and energy conversion rate j · E ' = j · E + v e × B suggest that the ISFR had three-dimensional magnetic topology and secondary reconnection was patchy or bursty. Previously reported positive and negative values of j · E ' , with magnitudes much larger than expected for typical MP reconnection, were seen in both magnetosheath and magnetospheric separatrix regions of the ISFR. Many of them coexisted with bi-directional electron beams and intense electric field fluctuations around the electron gyrofrequency, consistent with their origin in separatrix activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Hasegawa
- Institute of Space and Astronautical ScienceJapan Aerospace Exploration AgencySagamiharaJapan
- Southwest Research InstituteSan AntonioTXUSA
| | - R. E. Denton
- Department of Physics and AstronomyDartmouth CollegeHanoverNHUSA
| | - K. Dokgo
- Southwest Research InstituteSan AntonioTXUSA
| | - K.‐J. Hwang
- Southwest Research InstituteSan AntonioTXUSA
| | | | - J. L. Burch
- Southwest Research InstituteSan AntonioTXUSA
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4
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Bolaños S, Sladkov A, Smets R, Chen SN, Grisollet A, Filippov E, Henares JL, Nastasa V, Pikuz S, Riquier R, Safronova M, Severin A, Starodubtsev M, Fuchs J. Laboratory evidence of magnetic reconnection hampered in obliquely interacting flux tubes. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6426. [PMID: 36307404 PMCID: PMC9616926 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33813-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Magnetic reconnection can occur when two plasmas, having anti-parallel components of the magnetic field, encounter each other. In the reconnection plane, the anti-parallel component of the field is annihilated and its energy released in the plasma. Here, we investigate through laboratory experiments the reconnection between two flux tubes that are not strictly anti-parallel. Compression of the anti-parallel component of the magnetic field is observed, as well as a decrease of the reconnection efficiency. Concomitantly, we observe delayed plasma heating and enhanced particle acceleration. Three-dimensional hybrid simulations support these observations and highlight the plasma heating inhibition and reconnection efficiency reduction for these obliquely oriented flux tubes. Magnetic reconnection acts as energy transfer process in plasma and induces processes like plasma heating, particle acceleration. Here the authors demonstrate the variation of magnetic reconnection between two flux tubes in the presence of external magnetic field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Bolaños
- LULI - CNRS, CEA, UPMC Univ Paris 06 : Sorbonne Université, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-91128, Paris, Palaiseau cedex, France.,LPP, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, F-91128, Palaiseau, France
| | - Andrey Sladkov
- Institute of Applied Physics, 46 Ulyanov Street, 603950, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Roch Smets
- LPP, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, F-91128, Palaiseau, France
| | - Sophia N Chen
- ELI-NP, Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Bucharest, Magurele, Romania
| | | | - Evgeny Filippov
- Institute of Applied Physics, 46 Ulyanov Street, 603950, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.,Joint Institute for High Temperatures, RAS, 125412, Moscow, Russia
| | - Jose-Luis Henares
- Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires de Bordeaux Gradignan, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS-IN2P3, Route du Solarium, F-33175, Gradignan, France
| | - Viorel Nastasa
- ELI-NP, Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Bucharest, Magurele, Romania.,National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Magurele, Ilfov, Romania
| | - Sergey Pikuz
- National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, 115409, Moscow, Russia.,Joint Institute for High Temperatures, RAS, 125412, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Maria Safronova
- Institute of Applied Physics, 46 Ulyanov Street, 603950, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Alexandre Severin
- LULI - CNRS, CEA, UPMC Univ Paris 06 : Sorbonne Université, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-91128, Paris, Palaiseau cedex, France
| | - Mikhail Starodubtsev
- Institute of Applied Physics, 46 Ulyanov Street, 603950, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Julien Fuchs
- LULI - CNRS, CEA, UPMC Univ Paris 06 : Sorbonne Université, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-91128, Paris, Palaiseau cedex, France.
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5
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Verscharen D, Wicks RT, Alexandrova O, Bruno R, Burgess D, Chen CHK, D’Amicis R, De Keyser J, de Wit TD, Franci L, He J, Henri P, Kasahara S, Khotyaintsev Y, Klein KG, Lavraud B, Maruca BA, Maksimovic M, Plaschke F, Poedts S, Reynolds CS, Roberts O, Sahraoui F, Saito S, Salem CS, Saur J, Servidio S, Stawarz JE, Štverák Š, Told D. A Case for Electron-Astrophysics. EXPERIMENTAL ASTRONOMY 2021; 54:473-519. [PMID: 36915623 PMCID: PMC9998602 DOI: 10.1007/s10686-021-09761-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The smallest characteristic scales, at which electron dynamics determines the plasma behaviour, are the next frontier in space and astrophysical plasma research. The analysis of astrophysical processes at these scales lies at the heart of the research theme of electron-astrophysics. Electron scales are the ultimate bottleneck for dissipation of plasma turbulence, which is a fundamental process not understood in the electron-kinetic regime. In addition, plasma electrons often play an important role for the spatial transfer of thermal energy due to the high heat flux associated with their velocity distribution. The regulation of this electron heat flux is likewise not understood. By focussing on these and other fundamental electron processes, the research theme of electron-astrophysics links outstanding science questions of great importance to the fields of space physics, astrophysics, and laboratory plasma physics. In this White Paper, submitted to ESA in response to the Voyage 2050 call, we review a selection of these outstanding questions, discuss their importance, and present a roadmap for answering them through novel space-mission concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Verscharen
- Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Dorking, UK
- Space Science Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH USA
| | - Robert T. Wicks
- Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Dorking, UK
- Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
| | - Olga Alexandrova
- Laboratoire d’Études Spatiales et d’Instrumentation en Astrophysique, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, Paris, France
| | - Roberto Bruno
- Instituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Rome, Italy
| | - David Burgess
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Johan De Keyser
- Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Thierry Dudok de Wit
- Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l’Environment et de l’Espace, CNRS, University of Orléans and CNES, Orléans, France
| | - Luca Franci
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, INAF, Firenze, Italy
| | - Jiansen He
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Pierre Henri
- Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l’Environment et de l’Espace, CNRS, University of Orléans and CNES, Orléans, France
- CNRS, UCA, OCA, Lagrange, Nice, France
| | - Satoshi Kasahara
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Kristopher G. Klein
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Department of Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ USA
| | - Benoit Lavraud
- Laboratoire d’astrophysique de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Pessac, France
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, UPS, CNES, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Bennett A. Maruca
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, DE USA
| | - Milan Maksimovic
- Laboratoire d’Études Spatiales et d’Instrumentation en Astrophysique, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, Paris, France
| | | | - Stefaan Poedts
- Centre for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Institute of Physics, University of Maria Curie-Skłodowska, Lublin, Poland
| | | | - Owen Roberts
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
| | - Fouad Sahraoui
- Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas, CNRS, École Polytechnique, Sorbonne Université, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, Paris Saclay, Palaiseau, France
| | - Shinji Saito
- Space Environment Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Chadi S. Salem
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Joachim Saur
- Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sergio Servidio
- Department of Physics, Università della Calabria, Rende, Italy
| | | | - Štěpán Štverák
- Astronomical Institute and Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Daniel Told
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Garching, Germany
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6
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Eastwood JP, Goldman MV, Phan TD, Stawarz JE, Cassak PA, Drake JF, Newman D, Lavraud B, Shay MA, Ergun RE, Burch JL, Gershman DJ, Giles BL, Lindqvist PA, Torbert RB, Strangeway RJ, Russell CT. Energy Flux Densities near the Electron Dissipation Region in Asymmetric Magnetopause Reconnection. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:265102. [PMID: 33449730 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.265102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Magnetic reconnection is of fundamental importance to plasmas because of its role in releasing and repartitioning stored magnetic energy. Previous results suggest that this energy is predominantly released as ion enthalpy flux along the reconnection outflow. Using Magnetospheric Multiscale data we find the existence of very significant electron energy flux densities in the vicinity of the magnetopause electron dissipation region, orthogonal to the ion energy outflow. These may significantly impact models of electron transport, wave generation, and particle acceleration.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Eastwood
- The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - M V Goldman
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - T D Phan
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - J E Stawarz
- The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - P A Cassak
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and Center for KINETIC Plasma Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA
| | - J F Drake
- Department of Physics/Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - D Newman
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - B Lavraud
- Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, B18N, allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 33615 Pessac, France
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, CNES, Université de Toulouse, 31028 Toulouse Cedex 4, France
| | - M A Shay
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - R E Ergun
- LASP/Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - J L Burch
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA
| | - D J Gershman
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - B L Giles
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - P A Lindqvist
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - R B Torbert
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA
- University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA
| | - R J Strangeway
- Institute of Geophysics, Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - C T Russell
- Institute of Geophysics, Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
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7
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Liu YH, Hesse M, Li TC, Kuznetsova M, Le A. Orientation and Stability of Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection X Line. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. SPACE PHYSICS 2018; 123:4908-4920. [PMID: 30364510 PMCID: PMC6196328 DOI: 10.1029/2018ja025410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The orientation and stability of the reconnection x line in asymmetric geometry is studied using three-dimensional (3-D) particle-in-cell simulations. We initiate reconnection at the center of a large simulation domain to minimize the boundary effect. The resulting x line has sufficient freedom to develop along an optimal orientation, and it remains laminar. Companion 2-D simulations indicate that this x line orientation maximizes the reconnection rate. The divergence of the nongyrotropic pressure tensor breaks the frozen-in condition, consistent with its 2-D counterpart. We then design 3-D simulations with one dimension being short to fix the x line orientation but long enough to allow the growth of the fastest growing oblique tearing modes. This numerical experiment suggests that reconnection tends to radiate secondary oblique tearing modes if it is externally (globally) forced to proceed along an orientation not favored by the local physics. The development of oblique structure easily leads to turbulence inside small periodic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Hsin Liu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - M Hesse
- Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - T C Li
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - M Kuznetsova
- NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | - A Le
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
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8
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Liu YH, Hesse M, Cassak PA, Shay MA, Wang S, Chen LJ. On the Collisionless Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection Rate. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS 2018; 45:3311-3318. [PMID: 30245534 PMCID: PMC6142184 DOI: 10.1002/2017gl076460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A prediction of the steady state reconnection electric field in asymmetric reconnection is obtained by maximizing the reconnection rate as a function of the opening angle made by the upstream magnetic field on the weak magnetic field (magnetosheath) side. The prediction is within a factor of 2 of the widely examined asymmetric reconnection model (Cassak & Shay, 2007, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2795630) in the collisionless limit, and they scale the same over a wide parameter regime. The previous model had the effective aspect ratio of the diffusion region as a free parameter, which simulations and observations suggest is on the order of 0.1, but the present model has no free parameters. In conjunction with the symmetric case (Liu et al., 2017, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.085101), this work further suggests that this nearly universal number 0.1, essentially the normalized fast-reconnection rate, is a geometrical factor arising from maximizing the reconnection rate within magnetohydrodynamic-scale constraints. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY To understand the evolution of many space and astrophysical plasmas, it is imperative to know how fast magnetic reconnection processes the magnetic flux. Researchers found that reconnection in both symmetric and asymmetric geometries exhibits a normalized reconnection rate of order 0.1. In this work, we show that this nearly universal value in asymmetric geometry is also the maximal rate allowed in the magnetohydrodynamic scale. This result has applications to the transport process at plasma boundary layers like Earth's magnetopause.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Hsin Liu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - M Hesse
- Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - P A Cassak
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - M A Shay
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - S Wang
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - L-J Chen
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
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9
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Egedal J, Le A, Daughton W, Wetherton B, Cassak PA, Burch JL, Lavraud B, Dorelli J, Gershman DJ, Avanov LA. Spacecraft Observations of Oblique Electron Beams Breaking the Frozen-In Law During Asymmetric Reconnection. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2018; 120:055101. [PMID: 29481157 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.120.055101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Fully kinetic simulations of asymmetric magnetic reconnection reveal the presence of magnetic-field-aligned beams of electrons flowing toward the topological magnetic x line. Within the ∼6d_{e} electron-diffusion region, the beams become oblique to the local magnetic field, providing a unique signature of the electron-diffusion region where the electron frozen-in law is broken. The numerical predictions are confirmed by in situ Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft observations during asymmetric reconnection at Earth's dayside magnetopause.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Egedal
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Le
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| | - W Daughton
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| | - B Wetherton
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - P A Cassak
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA
| | - J L Burch
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA
| | - B Lavraud
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse, UMR 5277, Toulouse, France
| | - J Dorelli
- Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - D J Gershman
- Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - L A Avanov
- Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
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10
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Hesse M, Chen LJ, Liu YH, Bessho N, Burch JL. Population Mixing in Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection with a Guide Field. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2017; 118:145101. [PMID: 28430487 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.118.145101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We investigate how population mixing leads to structured electron distribution functions in asymmetric guide-field magnetic reconnection based on particle-in-cell simulations. The change of magnetic connectivity patches populations from different inflow regions to form multicomponent distributions in the exhaust, illustrating the direct consequence of the breaking and rejoining of magnetic flux tubes. Finite Larmor radius (FLR) effects of electrons accelerated by the perpendicular electric fields result in crescent-type nongyrotropic distributions. A new type of nongyrotropy is found to be caused by the combined effects of the FLR and velocity dispersion of electrons accelerated by the parallel electric field. The patching together of populations and the effects of acceleration and the FLR form the first steps of mixing in the exhaust and separatrix regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Hesse
- Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - L J Chen
- Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - Y-H Liu
- Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - N Bessho
- Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - J L Burch
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA
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11
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Fox W, Sciortino F, V Stechow A, Jara-Almonte J, Yoo J, Ji H, Yamada M. Experimental Verification of the Role of Electron Pressure in Fast Magnetic Reconnection with a Guide Field. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2017; 118:125002. [PMID: 28388178 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.118.125002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We report detailed laboratory observations of the structure of a reconnection current sheet in a two-fluid plasma regime with a guide magnetic field. We observe and quantitatively analyze the quadrupolar electron pressure variation in the ion-diffusion region, as originally predicted by extended magnetohydrodynamics simulations. The projection of the electron pressure gradient parallel to the magnetic field contributes significantly to balancing the parallel electric field, and the resulting cross-field electron jets in the reconnection layer are diamagnetic in origin. These results demonstrate how parallel and perpendicular force balance are coupled in guide field reconnection and confirm basic theoretical models of the importance of electron pressure gradients for obtaining fast magnetic reconnection.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Fox
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, USA
| | - F Sciortino
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
| | - A V Stechow
- Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, 17491 Greifswald, Germany
| | - J Jara-Almonte
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, USA
| | - J Yoo
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, USA
| | - H Ji
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, USA
| | - M Yamada
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, USA
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12
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Artemyev AV, Neishtadt AI, Vasiliev AA, Mourenas D. Probabilistic approach to nonlinear wave-particle resonant interaction. Phys Rev E 2017; 95:023204. [PMID: 28297839 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.95.023204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
In this paper we provide a theoretical model describing the evolution of the charged-particle distribution function in a system with nonlinear wave-particle interactions. Considering a system with strong electrostatic waves propagating in an inhomogeneous magnetic field, we demonstrate that individual particle motion can be characterized by the probability of trapping into the resonance with the wave and by the efficiency of scattering at resonance. These characteristics, being derived for a particular plasma system, can be used to construct a kinetic equation (or generalized Fokker-Planck equation) modeling the long-term evolution of the particle distribution. In this equation, effects of charged-particle trapping and transport in phase space are simulated with a nonlocal operator. We demonstrate that solutions of the derived kinetic equations agree with results of test-particle tracing. The applicability of the proposed approach for the description of space and laboratory plasma systems is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Artemyev
- Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Space Research Institute, Moscow, Russia
| | - A I Neishtadt
- Space Research Institute, Moscow, Russia.,Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
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13
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Eriksson S, Wilder FD, Ergun RE, Schwartz SJ, Cassak PA, Burch JL, Chen LJ, Torbert RB, Phan TD, Lavraud B, Goodrich KA, Holmes JC, Stawarz JE, Sturner AP, Malaspina DM, Usanova ME, Trattner KJ, Strangeway RJ, Russell CT, Pollock CJ, Giles BL, Hesse M, Lindqvist PA, Drake JF, Shay MA, Nakamura R, Marklund GT. Magnetospheric Multiscale Observations of the Electron Diffusion Region of Large Guide Field Magnetic Reconnection. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2016; 117:015001. [PMID: 27419573 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.117.015001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We report observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) satellites of a large guide field magnetic reconnection event. The observations suggest that two of the four MMS spacecraft sampled the electron diffusion region, whereas the other two spacecraft detected the exhaust jet from the event. The guide magnetic field amplitude is approximately 4 times that of the reconnecting field. The event is accompanied by a significant parallel electric field (E_{∥}) that is larger than predicted by simulations. The high-speed (∼300 km/s) crossing of the electron diffusion region limited the data set to one complete electron distribution inside of the electron diffusion region, which shows significant parallel heating. The data suggest that E_{∥} is balanced by a combination of electron inertia and a parallel gradient of the gyrotropic electron pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Eriksson
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - F D Wilder
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - R E Ergun
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
- Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - S J Schwartz
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
- The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - P A Cassak
- West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA
| | - J L Burch
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238-5166, USA
| | - L-J Chen
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - R B Torbert
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238-5166, USA
- University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA
| | - T D Phan
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - B Lavraud
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse, 31028 Toulouse, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 5277, Toulouse, France
| | - K A Goodrich
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
- Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - J C Holmes
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
- Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - J E Stawarz
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
- Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - A P Sturner
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
- Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - D M Malaspina
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - M E Usanova
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - K J Trattner
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - R J Strangeway
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - C T Russell
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - C J Pollock
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - B L Giles
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - M Hesse
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - P-A Lindqvist
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-11428 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J F Drake
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - M A Shay
- University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - R Nakamura
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 8042 Graz, Austria
| | - G T Marklund
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-11428 Stockholm, Sweden
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