Dynamics of equilibrium upset and electromagnetic energy transformation in the geomagnetotail: A theory and simulation using particles. 1. Evolution of configurations in an MHD approximation

Kinetic thin current sheets: their formation in relation to magnetotail mesoscale turbulent dynamics

“…Outside CS the magnetic field reconfigures by means of propagating fast disturbances, with characteristic velocity equal to the Alfvén speed, V A1 =B 0 / √ 4πρ 1 (being though high, but finite velocity, see e.g. Domrin and Kropotkin, 2007a). Therefore the characteristic time T 1 which the reconfiguration takes to occur in the lobe region over the considered region, obeys the relation L x /V A1 T 1 L/V A1 .…”

“…Study of the relatively slow relaxation process on the time scale T 2 was carried out in Domrin and Kropotkin (2003, 2004, 2007a, and it will be briefly outlined here. Underlying assumption is that at some locations on the thin CS, abrupt losses of equilibrium occur, and they are later followed with much slower relaxation of the out-of-equilibrium system thus arising.…”

“…In the most recent particle simulation carried out in our papers (Domrin and Kropotkin, 2003, 2004, 2007a, it was shown that another, quite different evolution path in dynamics of magnetic merging, that involves formation of FCS, is really possible. Which particular path is taken by the system, depends on the initial parameters.…”