Direct Detection of Ongoing Magnetic Reconnection at Mercury's High‐Latitude Magnetopause

Wang, Rongsheng; Cheng, Zihang; Slavin, James A.; Lu, Quanming; Raines, Jim; Lu, San; Guo, Jin; Gonzalez, Walter

doi:10.1029/2023gl106282

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…These secondary MFRs tend to grow larger in size after they are expelled from the reconnection X-line and travel in the exhaust region (Dong et al, 2017;H. Hasegawa et al, 2023; R. S. Wang et al, 2024). The statistical work also supports that the average size of MFRs is smaller at the subsolar magnetopause and grows as they travel toward flanks and high-latitude magnetopause (Akhavan-Tafti et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 52%

Direct Observation of Magnetic Reconnection Resulting From Interaction Between Magnetic Flux Rope and Magnetic Hole in the Earth's Magnetosheath

Wang,

et al. 2024

Geophysical Research Letters

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We report in situ observation of magnetic reconnection between magnetic flux rope (MFR) and magnetic hole (MH) in the magnetosheath by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. The MFR was rooted in the magnetopause and could be generated by magnetopause reconnection therein. A thin current sheet was generated due to the interaction between MFR and MH. The sub‐Alfvénic ion bulk flow and the Hall field were detected inside this thin current sheet, indicating an ongoing reconnection. An elongated electron diffusion region characterized by non‐frozen‐in electrons, magnetic‐to‐particle energy conversion, and crescent‐shaped electron distribution was detected in the reconnection exhaust. The observation provides a mechanism for the dissipation of MFRs and thus opens a new perspective on the evolution of MFRs at the magnetopause. Our work also reveals one potential fate of the MHs in the magnetosheath which could reconnect with the MFRs and further merge into the magnetopause.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 52%

Direct Observation of Magnetic Reconnection Resulting From Interaction Between Magnetic Flux Rope and Magnetic Hole in the Earth's Magnetosheath

Wang,

et al. 2024

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…However, it is challenging to determine the acceleration mechanism(s) inside the holes. The magnetic flux rope is another transient magnetic structure that has been widely observed in the magnetotail (Slavin et al 2003;Zong et al 2004;Wang et al 2010aWang et al , 2010bWang et al , 2016bWang et al , 2016c, at the magnetopause (Russell & Elphic 1978;Wang et al 2017b), and in the interplanetary solar wind (Wang et al 2023a(Wang et al , 2023b and planetary magnetospheres (Zhang et al 2012;Zhong et al 2018;Wang et al 2024). The energetic electrons have been detected also inside the flux ropes (Chen et al 2008;Wang et al 2010b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Energetic Electrons Observed Inside Magnetic Holes in the Magnetotail

Xie,

Wang,

et al. 2024

ApJ

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Magnetic holes, characterized as magnetic field depressions, have been widely observed in space plasma. Two large-scale magnetic holes, MH1 and MH2, were reported in this paper and the energetic electrons up to 100 keV were detected for the first time inside both holes. The two holes showed many similar features, comparable spatial scale, temperature and total pressure increase, and energetic electrons up to 100 keV with a power-law distribution inside them. On the other hand, distinct features were also found between these two holes. A potential ion flow vortex was detected inside the MH1 and an ion-scale magnetic structure was observed in its core region. The electron flux enhancements were associated with this ion-scale structure and the energetic electrons were nonadiabatic around the ion-scale structure inside MH1, while the energetic electrons were adiabatic inside the MH2. The mirror-mode instability was unstable around MH1 while stable around MH2, which suggested that the two holes might be in a different phase of the mirror-mode instability. The observations suggested that the electrons could be significantly accelerated inside magnetic holes in the different phases.

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“…However, the spatial scale of the observed magnetic structure was significantly smaller than the distribution region of the energetic electrons. Consequently, it is still unclear whether this magnetic structure is related to the generation of energetic electrons in this region as observed previously (R. Wang et al, 2024;R. Wang, Lu, Du, & Wang, 2010).…”

Section: Journal Of Geophysical Research: Space Physicsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Observation of Energetic Electron Near the Electron Diffusion Region of Magnetic Reconnection

Yu,

Lu,

Wang

et al. 2024

JGR Space Physics

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Magnetic reconnection can effectively convert magnetic energy into plasma energy, and accelerate electrons. In this article, the electrons with energies up to 150 keV are observed in the separatrix region and near the electron diffusion region (EDR) detected by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission in the magnetotail. Combined with the electron pitch‐angle distribution, the electrons in these two regions have a striking behavior: the low‐energy electrons (<∼10 keV) move mainly toward the X‐line, while the energetic electrons (69–139 keV) move mainly away from the X‐line. In the EDR, the energy of electrons can reach up to 10 keV and there is a notable enhancement in the flux of electrons in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field, which implies the presence of acceleration processes occurring in the EDR, leading to the energization of electrons. Furthermore, the energy spectrum of non‐thermal electron with energies above 6 keV shows a power law distribution in this event, suggesting the occurrence of multiple acceleration processes rather than a single energization mechanism. These findings underscore the EDR's role as a crucial region for electron acceleration during magnetic reconnection. The study provides essential clues about the mechanisms driving electron acceleration, contributing to our understanding of space weather phenomena and the broader dynamics of plasma physics in space environments.

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Direct Detection of Ongoing Magnetic Reconnection at Mercury's High‐Latitude Magnetopause

Cited by 5 publications

References 57 publications

Direct Observation of Magnetic Reconnection Resulting From Interaction Between Magnetic Flux Rope and Magnetic Hole in the Earth's Magnetosheath

Direct Observation of Magnetic Reconnection Resulting From Interaction Between Magnetic Flux Rope and Magnetic Hole in the Earth's Magnetosheath

Energetic Electrons Observed Inside Magnetic Holes in the Magnetotail

Observation of Energetic Electron Near the Electron Diffusion Region of Magnetic Reconnection

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