Open AccessGeotail encounter with reconnection diffusion region in the Earth's magnetotail: Evidence of multiple X lines collisionless reconnection?
Author(s) -
Deng X. H.,
Matsumoto H.,
Kojima H.,
Mukai T.,
Anderson R. R.,
Baumjohann W.,
Nakamura R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2003ja010031
Subject(s) - magnetic reconnection , physics , plasma sheet , current sheet , separatrix , field line , magnetic field , plasma , line (geometry) , diffusion , substorm , geophysics , magnetosphere , computational physics , magnetohydrodynamics , geometry , quantum mechanics , mathematics
On 11 December 1994 the Geotail spacecraft encountered an active reconnection diffusion region around the X line in the Earth's magnetotail. Three interesting features were observed. One is quadrupole pattern of the out‐of‐plane B y magnetic field component during the passage of magnetic islands and the crossing of the neutral sheet. The second is a direction reversal of the electron beams in the vicinity of the separatrix of the magnetic topology of reconnection. The third is a clear plasma flow reversal. By combining the observations of plasma, magnetic field, particles, and waves, this report may provide evidence of multiple X lines collisionless reconnection in the magnetotail at the microscopic level.