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The energy‐based scaling of a thin current sheet: Case study
Author(s) -
Sasunov Yu. L.,
Khodachenko M. L.,
Alexeev I. I.,
Belenkaya E. S.,
Gordeev E. I.,
Kubyshkin I. V.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl066189
Subject(s) - gyroradius , scaling , current sheet , plasma , current (fluid) , physics , magnetic field , radius , flux (metallurgy) , trajectory , plasma sheet , computational physics , atomic physics , materials science , nuclear physics , magnetohydrodynamics , magnetosphere , geometry , thermodynamics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , astronomy , computer science , computer security , metallurgy
The influence of average plasma energyE ~ on the half thickness ℓ of a thin current sheet (TCS) is investigated for three cases of TCSs crossings. The value of ℓ was estimated from the magnetic field data by means of Cluster observations. The obtained scaling values for TCSs,Z ~ = ℓ / ρ T , where ρ T is the thermal Larmor radius, were compared with the scalingZ μ = 2 2 E ~ / T , whereE ~ and T are the average plasma energy and the temperature of plasma, which assumes a specific dynamics (conservation of magnetic flux through the trajectory segment) of the current carriers. The comparison ofZ ~ and Z μ shows a good agreement.