[1] Dipolarization fronts (DFs), characterized by a strong and steep increase of the tail magnetic field component B z normal to the neutral plane and preceded by a much less negative dip of B z , are reported in many observations of bursty bulk flows and substorm activations throughout the whole Earth's magnetotail. It is shown that similar structures appear in full-particle simulations with open boundaries in a transient regime before the steady reconnection in the original Harris current sheet driven out of the equilibrium by the initial X-line perturbation is established. Being secondary reconnection structures propagating with the Alfvén speed, DFs are different from the magnetic field pileup regions reported in earlier simulations with closed boundaries. They also differ from the secondary plasmoids with bipolar B z changes reported in earlier fluid simulations and particle simulations with open boundaries. In spite of their transient nature, DFs are found to form when the force balance is already restored in the system, which justifies their interpretation as a nonlinear stage of the tearing instability developing in two magnetotail-like structures on the left and on the right of the initial central X-line. Both electrons and ions are magnetized at the front of the dipolarization wave. In contrast, in its trail, ions are unmagnetized and move slower compared to the E Â B drift, whereas electrons either follow that drift being completely magnetized or move faster, forming super-Alfvénic jets. In spite of the different motions of electrons and ions, the growth of the front is not accompanied by the corresponding growth of the electrostatic field and the energy dissipation in fronts is dominated by ions.

We analyze the signatures of component reconnection for a Harris current sheet with a guide field using the physical mass ratio of hydrogen. The study uses the fully kinetic particle in cell code IPIC3D to investigate the scaling with mass ratio of the following three main component reconnection features: electron density cavities along the separatrices, channels of fast electron flow within the cavities, and electron phase space holes due to the Buneman instability in the electron high speed channels. The width and strength of the electron holes and of the electron cavities are studied up the mass ratio proper of hydrogen, considering the effect of the simulation box size, and of the boundary conditions. The results compare favorably with the existing data from the Cluster and Themis missions and provide quantitative predictions for realistic conditions to be encountered by the planned magnetospheric multiscale mission.

[1] Massively parallel numerical simulations of magnetic reconnection are presented in this study. Electromagnetic full-particle implicit code iPIC3D is used to study the dynamics and 3-D evolution of reconnection outflows. Such features as Hall magnetic field, inflow and outflow, and diffusion region formation are very similar to 2-D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. In addition, it is well known that instabilities develop in the current flow direction or oblique directions. These modes could provide for anomalous resistivity and diffusive drag and can serve as additional proxies for magnetic reconnection. In our work, the unstable evolution of reconnection transient front structures is studied. Reconnection configuration in the absence of guide field is considered, and it is initialized with a localized perturbation aligned in the cross-tail direction. Our study suggests that the instabilities lead to the development of finger-like density structures on ion-electron hybrid scales. These structures are characterized by a rapid increase of the magnetic field, normal to the current sheet (B z ). A small decrease in the magnetic field component parallel to the reconnection X line and the component perpendicular to the current sheet is observed in the region ahead of the front. The instabilities form due to fact that the density gradient inside the front region is opposite to the direction of the acceleration Lorentz force. Such density structures may possibly further develop into larger-scale earthward flux transfer events during magnetotail reconnection. In addition, oscillations mainly in the magnetic and electric fields and the electron density are observed shortly before the arrival of the main front structure which is consistent with recent THEMIS observations.

We investigate current‐driven modes developing at jet fronts during collisionless reconnection. Initial evolution of the reconnection is simulated using conventional 2‐D setup starting from the Harris equilibrium. Three‐dimensional PIC calculations are implemented at later stages, when fronts are fully formed. Intense currents and enhanced wave activity are generated at the fronts because of the interaction of the fast flow plasma and denser ambient current sheet plasma. The study reveals that the lower hybrid drift instability develops quickly in the 3‐D simulation. The instability produces strong localized perpendicular electric fields, which are several times larger than the convective electric field at the front, in agreement with Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms observations. The instability generates waves, which escape the front edge and propagate into the undisturbed plasma ahead of the front. The parallel electron pressure is substantially larger in the 3‐D simulation compared to that of the 2‐D. In a time ∼normalΩci−1, the instability forms a layer, which contains a mixture of the jet plasma and current sheet plasma. The results confirm that the lower hybrid drift instability is important for the front evolution and electron energization.

Electron scale dynamics of magnetic reconnection separatrix jets is studied in this paper. Instabilities developing in directions both parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field are investigated. Implicit particle-in-cell simulations with realistic electron-to-ion mass ratio are complemented by a set of small scale high resolution runs having the separatrix force balance as the initial condition. A special numerical procedure is developed to introduce the force balance into the small scale runs. Simulations show the development of streaming instabilities and consequent formation of electron holes in the parallel direction. A new electron jet instability develops in the perpendicular direction. The instability is closely related to the electron MHD Kelvin-Helmholtz mode and is destabilized by a flow, perpendicular to magnetic field at the separatrix. Tearing instability of the separatrix electron jet is modulated strongly by the electron MHD Kelvin-Helmholtz mode.