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Guide Field Reconnection: Exhaust Structure and Heating
Author(s) -
Eastwood J. P.,
Mistry R.,
Phan T. D.,
Schwartz S. J.,
Ergun R. E.,
Drake J. F.,
Øieroset M.,
Stawarz J. E.,
Goldman M. V.,
Haggerty C.,
Shay M. A.,
Burch J. L.,
Gershman D. J.,
Giles B. L.,
Lindqvist P. A.,
Torbert R. B.,
Strangeway R. J.,
Russell C. T.
Publication year - 2018
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 - 10.1029/2018gl077670
Subject(s) - electric field , magnetic reconnection , electron , magnetosheath , physics , field line , magnetic field , electron temperature , field (mathematics) , ion , atomic physics , condensed matter physics , materials science , geophysics , magnetopause , solar wind , mathematics , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics
Magnetospheric Multiscale observations are used to probe the structure and temperature profile of a guide field reconnection exhaust ~100 ion inertial lengths downstream from the X‐line in the Earth's magnetosheath. Asymmetric Hall electric and magnetic field signatures were detected, together with a density cavity confined near 1 edge of the exhaust and containing electron flow toward the X‐line. Electron holes were also detected both on the cavity edge and at the Hall magnetic field reversal. Predominantly parallel ion and electron heating was observed in the main exhaust, but within the cavity, electron cooling and enhanced parallel ion heating were found. This is explained in terms of the parallel electric field, which inhibits electron mixing within the cavity on newly reconnected field lines but accelerates ions. Consequently, guide field reconnection causes inhomogeneous changes in ion and electron temperature across the exhaust.