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Ergun RE, Goodrich KA, Wilder FD, et al. Magnetospheric Multiscale Satellites Observations of Parallel Electric Fields Associated with Magnetic Reconnection. Phys Rev Lett. 2016;116(23):235102doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.235102.
Ergun, R. E., Goodrich, K. A., Wilder, F. D., Holmes, J. C., Stawarz, J. E., Eriksson, S., Sturner, A. P., Malaspina, D. M., Usanova, M. E., Torbert, R. B., Lindqvist, P. A., Khotyaintsev, Y., Burch, J. L., Strangeway, R. J., Russell, C. T., Pollock, C. J., Giles, B. L., Hesse, M., Chen, L. J., Lapenta, G., Goldman, M. V., Newman, D. L., Schwartz, S. J., Eastwood, J. P., Phan, T. D., Mozer, F. S., Drake, J., Shay, M. A., Cassak, P. A., Nakamura, R., & Marklund, G. (2016). Magnetospheric Multiscale Satellites Observations of Parallel Electric Fields Associated with Magnetic Reconnection. Physical review letters, 116(23), 235102. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.235102
Ergun, R E, et al. "Magnetospheric Multiscale Satellites Observations of Parallel Electric Fields Associated with Magnetic Reconnection." Physical review letters vol. 116,23 (2016): 235102. doi: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.235102
Ergun RE, Goodrich KA, Wilder FD, Holmes JC, Stawarz JE, Eriksson S, Sturner AP, Malaspina DM, Usanova ME, Torbert RB, Lindqvist PA, Khotyaintsev Y, Burch JL, Strangeway RJ, Russell CT, Pollock CJ, Giles BL, Hesse M, Chen LJ, Lapenta G, Goldman MV, Newman DL, Schwartz SJ, Eastwood JP, Phan TD, Mozer FS, Drake J, Shay MA, Cassak PA, Nakamura R, Marklund G. Magnetospheric Multiscale Satellites Observations of Parallel Electric Fields Associated with Magnetic Reconnection. Phys Rev Lett. 2016 Jun 10;116(23):235102. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.235102. Epub 2016 Jun 10. PMID: 27341241.
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Phys Rev Lett. 2016 Jun 10;116(23):235102. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.235102. Epub 2016 Jun 10.

Magnetospheric Multiscale Satellites Observations of Parallel Electric Fields Associated with Magnetic Reconnection.

Physical review letters

R E Ergun, K A Goodrich, F D Wilder, J C Holmes, J E Stawarz, S Eriksson, A P Sturner, D M Malaspina, M E Usanova, R B Torbert, P-A Lindqvist, Y Khotyaintsev, J L Burch, R J Strangeway, C T Russell, C J Pollock, B L Giles, M Hesse, L J Chen, G Lapenta, M V Goldman, D L Newman, S J Schwartz, J P Eastwood, T D Phan, F S Mozer, J Drake, M A Shay, P A Cassak, R Nakamura, G Marklund

Affiliations

  1. Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
  2. Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
  3. University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA.
  4. Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA.
  5. KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
  6. Swedish Institute of Space Physics (Uppsala), Uppsala, Sweden.
  7. University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
  8. NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA.
  9. University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
  10. Leuven Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium.
  11. Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
  12. The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
  13. Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
  14. University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA.
  15. West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA.
  16. Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria.

PMID: 27341241 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.235102

Abstract

We report observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale satellites of parallel electric fields (E_{∥}) associated with magnetic reconnection in the subsolar region of the Earth's magnetopause. E_{∥} events near the electron diffusion region have amplitudes on the order of 100  mV/m, which are significantly larger than those predicted for an antiparallel reconnection electric field. This Letter addresses specific types of E_{∥} events, which appear as large-amplitude, near unipolar spikes that are associated with tangled, reconnected magnetic fields. These E_{∥} events are primarily in or near a current layer near the separatrix and are interpreted to be double layers that may be responsible for secondary reconnection in tangled magnetic fields or flux ropes. These results are telling of the three-dimensional nature of magnetopause reconnection and indicate that magnetopause reconnection may be often patchy and/or drive turbulence along the separatrix that results in flux ropes and/or tangled magnetic fields.

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