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Thin electron‐scale layers at the magnetopause
Author(s) -
André M.,
Vaivads A.,
Buchert S. C.,
Fazakerley A. N.,
Lahiff A.
Publication year - 2004
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 - 10.1029/2003gl018137
Subject(s) - magnetopause , electron , physics , geophysics , computational physics , magnetic reconnection , magnetohydrodynamics , ion , astrophysics , plasma , magnetosphere , quantum mechanics
We use data from the four Cluster satellites to examine the microphysics of a thin electron‐scale layer discovered on the magnetospheric side of the magnetopause. Here the ion and electron motions are decoupled in a layer about 20 km (a few electron scales) wide, including currents and strong electric fields. In this layer the electrons are E × B drifting with the ions as a background, and the region can be described by Hall MHD physics. A unique identification of the source of the thin layer is not possible, but our observations are consistent with recent simulations showing thin layers associated with the separatrix extending far away from a reconnection diffusion region.