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Electron distribution functions in the diffusion region of asymmetric magnetic reconnection
Author(s) -
Bessho N.,
Chen L.J.,
Hesse M.
Publication year - 2016
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 - 10.1002/2016gl067886
Subject(s) - magnetosheath , magnetopause , physics , electron , magnetic reconnection , magnetosphere , stagnation point , population , distribution function , computational physics , geophysics , magnetic field , mechanics , quantum mechanics , heat transfer , demography , sociology
We study electron distribution functions in a diffusion region of antiparallel asymmetric reconnection by means of particle‐in‐cell simulations and analytical theory. At the electron stagnation point, the electron distribution comprises a crescent‐shaped population and a core component. The crescent‐shaped distribution is due to electrons coming from the magnetosheath toward the stagnation point and accelerated mainly by electric field normal to the current sheet. Only a part of magnetosheath electrons can reach the stagnation point and form the crescent‐shaped distribution that has a boundary of a parabolic curve. The penetration length of magnetosheath electrons into the magnetosphere is derived. We expect that satellite observations can detect crescent‐shaped electron distributions during magnetopause reconnection.