Instability of the current sheet in the Earth's magnetotail with normal magnetic field
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Bessho, N.↗
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Effect of the Reconnection Electric Field on Electron Distribution Functions in the Diffusion Region of Magnetotail Reconnection
Abstract Electron distribution functions in the electron diffusion region during symmetric magnetic reconnection are investigated by means of theory and fully kinetic simulations. Crescent‐like striations are formed in distribution functions in the velocity plane perpendicular to the magnetic field. Using an analytical current sheet, we solve the equation of motion for electrons, and derive the shape of a crescent distribution, as a function of the distance from the neutral line, field gradients, and the reconnection electric field. Each crescent is tilted in the velocity plane because of the acceleration by the reconnection electric field, and multiple stripes appear due to multiple meandering bounces. Applying the theory to distribution functions observed in Earth's magnetotail, we deduce the amplitude of the reconnection electric field.
Bessho, N.↗
Characterizing Ion Flows Across a Magnetotail Dipolarization Jet: Characterizing Ion Flows Across a Magnetotail Dipolarization Jet
The structure of dipolarization jets with finite width in the dawn-dusk direction relevant to magnetic reconnection in the Earth's magnetotail is explored with particle-in-cell simulations. We carry out Riemann simulations of the evolution of the jet in the dawn-dusk, north-south plane to investigate the dependence of the jet structure on the jet width in the dawn-dusk direction. We find that the magnetic field and Earth-directed ion flow structure depend on the dawn-dusk width. A reversal in the usual Hall magnetic field near the center of the current sheet on the duskside of larger jets is observed. For small widths, the maximum velocity of the earthward flow is significantly reduced below the theoretical limit of the upstream Alfvén speed. However, the ion flow speed approaches this limit once the width exceeds the ion Larmor radius based on the normal magnetic field, $B^z$.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Quasi-separatrix layers induced by ballooning instability in the near-Earth magnetotail
Magnetic reconnection processes in the near-Earth magnetotail can be highly three-dimensional (3-D) in geometry and dynamics, even though the magnetotail configuration itself is nearly two-dimensional due to the symmetry in the dusk–dawn direction. Such reconnection processes can be induced by the 3-D dynamics of nonlinear ballooning instability. In this work, we explore the global 3-D geometry of the reconnection process induced by ballooning instability in the near-Earth magnetotail by examining the distribution of quasi-separatrix layers associated with plasmoid formation in the entire 3-D domain of magnetotail configuration, using an algorithm previously developed in the context of solar physics. The 3-D distribution of quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs) as well as their evolution directly follow the plasmoid formation during the nonlinear development of ballooning instability in both time and space. Such a close correlation demonstrates a strong coupling between the ballooning and the corresponding reconnection processes. It further confirms the intrinsic 3-D nature of the ballooning-induced plasmoid formation and reconnection processes, in both geometry and dynamics. In addition, the reconstruction of the 3-D QSL geometry may provide an alternative means of identifying the location and timing of 3-D reconnection sites in the magnetotail from both numerical simulations and satellite observations.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Evolution of flux ropes in the magnetotail: A three-dimensional global hybrid simulation
Flux ropes in the Earth's magnetotail are widely believed to play a crucial role in energy transport during substorms and the generation of energetic particles. Previous kinetic simulations are limited to the local-scale regime, and thus cannot be used to study the structure associated with the geomagnetic field and the global-scale evolution of the flux ropes. Here, the evolution of flux ropes in the magnetotail under a steady southward interplanetary magnetic field are studied with a newly developed three-dimensional global hybrid simulation model for dynamics ranging from the ion Larmor radius to the global convection time scales. Magnetic reconnection with multiple X-lines is found to take place in the near-tail current sheet at geocentric solar magnetospheric distances x=−30R{sub E}∼−15R{sub E} around the equatorial plane (z=0). The magnetotail reconnection layer is turbulent, with a nonuniform structure and unsteady evolution, and exhibits properties of typical collisionless fast reconnection with the Hall effect. A number of small-scale flux ropes are generated through the multiple X-line reconnection. The diameter of the flux ropes is several R{sub E}, and the spatial scale of the flux ropes in the dawn-dusk direction is on the order of several R{sub E} and does not extend across the entire section of the magnetotail, contrary to previous models and MHD simulation results and showing the importance of the three-dimensional effects. The nonuniform and unsteady multiple X-line reconnection with particle kinetic effects leads to various kinds of flux rope evolution: The small-scale flux ropes propagate earthward or tailward after formation, and eventually merge into the near-Earth region or the mid-/distant-tail plasmoid, respectively. During the propagation, some of the flux ropes can be tilted in the geocentric solar magnetospheric (x,y) plane with respect to the y (dawn-dusk) axis. Coalescence between flux ropes is also observed. At the same time, the evolution of the flux ropes in the multiple X-line reconnection layer can also lead to the acceleration and heating of ions.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
A Study of Slow-mode Shocks in the Near-Earth Magnetotail with MMS Observations and Hybrid Simulations
The structure of the magnetic reconnection boundary, particularly the presence of slow-mode shocks in the near-Earth magnetotail was studied by using magnetospheric multiscale (MMS) observations and 2.5D hybrid simulations. A total of 51 crossings of MMS from 2017 to 2021 were analyzed. We found that the detection percentage of slow-mode shocks in the near-Earth magnetotail is 41%–55%. Previous studies have only reported one slow-mode shock event in the near-Earth magnetotail and a slow-mode shock detection percentage of 10% or lower in the mid-to-distant magnetotail. It was observed that if the high-energy beam region data is removed from the slow-mode shock downstream observations then the detection of slow-mode shocks reduces, implying that the kinetic effects play an important role in the detection of slow-mode shocks. For the crossings where the interface was not identified as a slow-mode shock, it was found that the turbulence in those crossings can change the mass flux values and disrupt the detection of slow-mode shock. However, the macroscopic slow-mode shock-like structure stably exists around the magnetic reconnection interface, as most of the conditions for slow-mode shocks were satisfied. This result suggests that slow-mode shocks are a general feature of magnetic reconnection geometry. We find that the lack of detection of slow-mode shocks in previous observations and simulations can be explained by taking into account the kinetic structure of slow-mode shocks and the presence of turbulence.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Measurement of the Magnetic Reconnection Rate in the Earth's Magnetotail
In the Earth's magnetotail, magnetic reconnection releases stored magnetic energy and drives magnetospheric convection. The rate at which magnetic flux is transferred from the reconnection inflow to outflow regions is determined by the reconnection electric field E r , which is often referred to as the unnormalized reconnection rate. To better quantify the efficiency of reconnection, this electric field E r is often normalized by the characteristic Alfvén speed and the reconnecting magnetic field. This parameter is generally called the normalized or dimensionless reconnection rate R . In this paper, we employ a two–dimensional fully kinetic simulation to model a magnetotail reconnection event with weak geomagnetic activity (<200 nT of the AE index) observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission on 11 July 2017. We obtain R and E r from direct measurements in the diffusion region and indirect measurements of the rate at the separatrix using a recently proposed remote sensing technique. The measured normalized rate for this MMS event is R ~0.15–0.2, consistent with theoretical and simulation models of fast collisionless reconnection. This corresponds to an unnormalized rate of E r ~2–3 mV/m. Based on quantitative consistencies between the simulation and the MMS observations, we conclude that our estimates of the reconnection rates are reasonably accurate. Here, given that past studies have found E r of the order ~10 mV/m during strong geomagnetic substorms, these results indicate that the local E r in magnetotail reconnection may be an important parameter controlling the amplitude of geomagnetic disturbances.
58 GEOSCIENCES↗
Spectral Properties and Energy Injection in Mercury's Magnetotail Current Sheet
Mercury's magnetotail hosts a thin and highly dynamic current sheet (CS), where magnetic reconnection and strong fluctuations frequently occur. Here, we statistically analyze magnetic field power spectra across 370 magnetotail CSs observed by MESSENGER. About 20% of the events are quasi-laminar, showing single power-law spectra, whereas ∼80% are turbulent, exhibiting a spectral break separating inertial and kinetic ranges. A dawn–dusk asymmetry is identified: inertial-range slopes are systematically shallower on the dawnside, whereas kinetic-range slopes are steeper, indicating more developed turbulence there, consistent with the higher occurrence of reconnection-related processes on the dawnside. Component analysis shows that the transverse components, orthogonal to the tail-aligned principal field ( B X ), display shallow slopes near −1 in the inertial range, suggesting energy injection at ion scales rather than a classical inertial range. These results demonstrate that Mercury's unique plasma environment fundamentally reshapes the initiation of turbulence and the redistribution of energy in the magnetotail.
Mercury↗
Generation of kinetic Alfven waves in the high-latitude near-Earth magnetotail: A global hybrid simulation
In this paper, effects of a fast flow in the tail plasma sheet on the generation of kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) in the high-latitude of the near-Earth magnetotail are investigated by performing a two-dimensional (2-D) global-scale hybrid simulation, where the plasma flow is initialized by the E×B drift near the equatorial plane due to the existence of the dawn-dusk convection electric field. It is found that firstly, the plasma sheet becomes thinned and the dipolarization of magnetic field appears around (x,z)=(−10.5R{sub E},0.3R{sub E}), where R{sub E} is the radius of the Earth. Then, shear Alfven waves are excited in the plasma sheet, and the strong earthward flow is braked by the dipole-like magnetic field. These waves propagate along the magnetic field lines toward the polar regions later. Subsequently, KAWs with k{sub ⊥}≫k{sub ∥} are generated in the high-latitude magnetotail due to the existence of the non-uniformity of the magnetic field and density in the polar regions. The ratio of the electric field to the magnetic field in these waves is found to obey the relation (δE{sub z})/(δB{sub y} )∼ω/k{sub ∥} of KAWs. Our simulation provides a mechanism for the generation of the observed low-frequency shear Alfven waves in the plasma sheet and kinetic Alfven waves in the high-latitude near-Earth magnetotail, whose source is suggested to be the flow braking in the low-latitude plasma sheet.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Modeling of different scenarios of thin current sheet equilibria in the Earth’s magnetotail
The Earth’s magnetosphere is an open dynamic system permanently interacting with the solar wind, i.e., the plasma flow from the Sun. Some plasma processes in the magnetosphere are of spontaneous explosive character, while others develop rather slowly as compared to the characteristic times of plasma particle motion in it. The large-scale current sheet in the magnetotail can be in an almost equilibrium state both in quiet periods and during geomagnetic perturbations, and its variations can be considered quasistatic. Thus, under some conditions, the magnetotail current sheet can be described as an equilibrium plasma system. Its state depends on various parameters, in particular, on those determining the dynamics of charged particles. Knowing the main governing parameters, one can study the structure and properties of the current sheet equilibrium. This work is devoted to the self-consistent modeling of the equilibrium thin current sheet (TCS) of the Earth’s magnetotail, the thickness of which is comparable with the ion gyroradius. The main objective of this work is to examine how the TCS structure depends on the parameters characterizing the particle dynamics and magnetic field geometry. A numerical hybrid self-consistent TCS model in which the tension of magnetic field lines is counterbalanced by the inertia of ions moving through the sheet is constructed. The ion dynamics is considered in the quasi-adiabatic approximation, while the electron motion, in the conductive fluid approximation. Depending on the values of the adiabaticity parameter κ (which determines the character of plasma particle motion) and the dimensionless normal component of the magnetic field b{sub z}, the following two scenarios are considered: (A) the adiabaticity parameter is proportional to the particle energy and b{sub z} = const and (B) the particle energy is fixed and the adiabaticity parameter is proportional to b{sub z}. The structure of the current sheet and particle dynamics in it are studied as functions of the parameters κ and b{sub z}. It is shown that, in scenario A, the current sheet thickness decreases with increasing adiabaticity parameter due to a decrease in the ion gyroradius. Accordingly, the radius of curvature of magnetic field lines decreases, which leads to an increase in the contribution of electron drift currents near the neutral plane z = 0. Numerical simulations demonstrate that current equilibria can exist if the adiabaticity parameter lies in the range 0.05 ≤ κ ≤ 0.7. At κ ∼ 0.7, the contribution of electron drift currents to the total current density is much larger than the contribution of ions and the ion motion becomes chaotic. At larger values of the adiabaticity parameter, no equilibrium solutions were found in the framework of the given one-dimensional model. Therefore, the value κ = 0.7 corresponds to the upper applicability limit of the quasi-adiabatic model of the current sheet. In scenario B, an increase in the parameter κ leads to the appearance of a large number of quasi-trapped ions in the current sheet, due to which the current sheet thickens and the amplitude of the current density decreases. As a result, equilibrium solutions exist in a much narrower range of the adiabaticity parameter, 0.05≤ κ ≤ 0.25. Consequences of the existence of parametric boundaries of equilibrium solutions for the TCS under actual geomagnetic conditions are discussed.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Studying Dawn‐Dusk Asymmetries of Mercury's Magnetotail Using MHD‐EPIC Simulations
Abstract MESSENGER has observed a lot of dawn‐dusk asymmetries in Mercury's magnetotail, such as the asymmetries of the cross‐tail current sheet thickness and the occurrence of flux ropes, dipolarization events, and energetic electron injections. In order to obtain a global pictures of Mercury's magnetotail dynamics and the relationship between these asymmetries, we perform global simulations with the magnetohydrodynamics with embedded particle‐in‐cell (MHD‐EPIC) model, where Mercury's magnetotail region is covered by a PIC code. Our simulations show that the dawnside current sheet is thicker, the plasma density is larger, and the electron pressure is higher than the duskside. Under a strong interplanetary magnetic field driver, the simulated reconnection sites prefer the dawnside. We also found the dipolarization events and the planetward electron jets are moving dawnward while they are moving toward the planet, so that almost all dipolarization events and high‐speed plasma flows concentrate in the dawn sector. The simulation results are consistent with MESSENGER observations.
Chen, Yuxi↗
Characterizing Mars's Magnetotail Topology With Respect to the Upstream Interplanetary Magnetic Fields
The canonical picture of the magnetotail of unmagnetized planets consists of draped interplanetary magnetic fields (IMFs) forming opposite-directed lobes, separated by the current sheet. DiBraccio et al. (2018, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL077251) showed that Mars's magnetotail has a twist departing from this picture. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) results suggest that the asymmetry in how open field lines connected to the planet populate the tail causes the apparent twist. To validate this interpretation, we compare the tail topology determined from MHD simulations to that inferred from data collected by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft, in particular, how each topology responds to the upstream IMF orientation. The occurrence rates for open topology from both data and MHD vary with IMF polarities in a similar fashion as the tail twisting. This suggests that Mars's crustal fields have a global effect on the magnetosphere configuration, supporting the picture of a “hybrid” magnetotail that is partly induced/draped and partly intrinsic/planetary in origin.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Magnetotail Variability During Magnetospheric Substorms
Abstract In this work, we present a statistical study of substorms covering a five‐year period 2016–2020. Substorm phases were identified from time series of the SuperMAG AL (SML) index using a list of 5,077 previously identified substorm onsets, the SML peak value marking transition from expansion to recovery phase, and the recovery identified as return to activity less than −100 nT in the SML index. Magnetic field observations from THEMIS, RBSP, and MMS missions were used to study the magnetotail characteristics during the substorm evolution. A superposed epoch analysis indicates that the substorm onset occurs almost simultaneously with a few minutes of uncertainty throughout the magnetotail, ranging from geostationary orbit to 20 RE. The onset in the transition region precedes the ground onset by a few minutes. The peak SML time coincides with the peak of the outer transition region Δ B Z , which suggests that the field‐aligned currents driving the SML activity arise from the outer transition region. Analysis of 2D maps of the tail magnetic field shows that the magnetotail current changes are limited to the center of the tail within | Y | < 10 R E . The substorm recovery is fastest in the inner transition region and lasts longer when moving further out. We did not find major asymmetries in the substorm signatures associated with IMF B Y or B Z .
Kumar, S.↗
Explosive Magnetotail Activity
Modes and manifestations of the explosive activity in the Earth’s magnetotail, as well as its onset mechanisms and key pre-onset conditions are reviewed. Two mechanisms for the generation of the pre-onset current sheet are discussed, namely magnetic flux addition to the tail lobes, or other high-latitude perturbations, and magnetic flux evacuation from the near-Earth tail associated with dayside reconnection. Reconnection onset may require stretching and thinning of the sheet down to electron scales. It may also start in thicker sheets in regions with a tailward gradient of the equatorial magnetic field B$_z$; in this case it begins as an ideal-MHD instability followed by the generation of bursty bulk flows and dipolarization fronts. Indeed, remote sensing and global MHD modeling show the formation of tail regions with increased B$_z$, prone to magnetic reconnection, ballooning/interchange and flapping instabilities. While interchange instability may also develop in such thicker sheets, it may grow more slowly compared to tearing and cause secondary reconnection locally in the dawn-dusk direction. Post-onset transients include bursty flows and dipolarization fronts, micro-instabilities of lower-hybrid-drift and whistler waves, as well as damped global flux tube oscillations in the near-Earth region. They convert the stretched tail magnetic field energy into bulk plasma acceleration and collisionless heating, excitation of a broad spectrum of plasma waves, and collisional dissipation in the ionosphere. Collisionless heating involves ion reflection from fronts, Fermi, betatron as well as other, non-adiabatic, mechanisms. Ionospheric manifestations of some of these magnetotail phenomena are discussed. Explosive plasma phenomena observed in the laboratory, the solar corona and solar wind are also discussed.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Mars-Ward Ion Flows in the Martian Magnetotail: Mars Express Observations
In this work, we investigate Mars-ward planetary ions (O + and O 2 + ) in the Martian magnetotail that potentially reduce the amount of escaping ions. The global properties of Mars-ward flows in the Martian magnetotail are characterized, based on over 13-years of ion data (May 2007–December 2020) collected by the Analyzer of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms instrument on Mars Express. We find that Mars-ward flows are frequently observed in the vicinity of the crustal fields, implying that crustal fields may play a key role in producing such flows. The occurrence rate and sunward flux are found higher during solar maximum than solar minimum. However, the occurrence rate and flux of Mars-ward flows are relatively low. This is different from the case at Venus, where the planetward flows can significantly decrease the total escape rates of ions.
58 GEOSCIENCES↗
Simulation of interplanetary magnetic field B{sub y} penetration into the magnetotail
Based on our global 3D magnetospheric MHD simulation model, we investigate the phenomena and physical mechanism of the B{sub y} component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) penetrating into the magnetotail. We find that the dayside reconnected magnetic field lines move to the magnetotail, get added to the lobe fields, and are dragged in the IMF direction. However, the B{sub y} component in the plasma sheet mainly originates from the tilt and relative slippage of the south and north lobes caused by plasma convection, which results in the original B{sub z} component in the plasma sheet rotating into a B{sub y} component. Our research also shows that the penetration effect of plasma sheet B{sub y} from the IMF B{sub y} during periods of northward IMF is larger than that during periods of southward IMF.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
A possible mechanism of the enhancement and maintenance of the shear magnetic field component in the current sheet of the Earth’s magnetotail
The influence of the shear magnetic field component, which is directed along the electric current in the current sheet (CS) of the Earth’s magnetotail and enhanced near the neutral plane of the CS, on the nonadiabatic dynamics of ions interacting with the CS is studied. The results of simulation of the nonadiabatic ion motion in the prescribed magnetic configuration similar to that observed in the magnetotail CS by the CLUSTER spacecraft demonstrated that, in the presence of some initial shear magnetic field, the north-south asymmetry in the ion reflection/refraction in the CS is observed. This asymmetry leads to the formation of an additional current system formed by the oppositely directed electric currents flowing in the northern and southern parts of the plasma sheet in the planes tangential to the CS plane and in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the electric current in the CS. The formation of this current system perhaps is responsible for the enhancement and further maintenance of the shear magnetic field near the neutral plane of the CS. The CS structure and ion dynamics observed in 17 intervals of the CS crossings by the CLUSTER spacecraft is analyzed. In these intervals, the shear magnetic field was increased near the neutral plane of the CS, so that the bell-shaped spatial distribution of this field across the CS plane was observed. The results of the present analysis confirm the suggested scenario of the enhancement of the shear magnetic field near the neutral plane of the CS due to the peculiarities of the nonadiabatic ion dynamics.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗