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Energy Conversion Within Current Sheets in the Earth's Quasi‐Parallel Magnetosheath
Author(s) -
Schwartz Steven J.,
Kucharek Harald,
Farrugia Charles J.,
Trattner Karlheinz,
Gingell Imogen,
Ergun Robert E.,
Strangeway Robert,
Gershman Daniel
Publication year - 2021
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 - 10.1029/2020gl091859
Subject(s) - magnetosheath , bow shock (aerodynamics) , physics , geophysics , magnetopause , dissipation , shock (circulatory) , kinetic energy , energy flux , shock wave , current sheet , solar wind , mechanics , bow wave , computational physics , magnetohydrodynamics , plasma , classical mechanics , astronomy , thermodynamics , medicine , quantum mechanics
Shock waves in collisionless plasmas rely on kinetic processes to convert the primary incident bulk flow energy into thermal energy. That conversion is initiated within a thin transition layer but may continue well into the downstream region. At the Earth's bow shock, the region downstream of shock locations where the interplanetary magnetic field is nearly parallel to the shock normal is highly turbulent. We study the distribution of thin current events in this magnetosheath. Quantification of the energy dissipation rate made by the Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft shows that these isolated intense currents are distributed uniformly throughout the magnetosheath and convert a significant fraction (5%–11%) of the energy flux incident at the bow shock.