Properties of Electron-scale Magnetic Reconnection at a Quasi-perpendicular Shock

Guo, Ao; Lu, Quanming; Lu, San; Wang, Shimou; Wang, Rongsheng

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/acec48

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Phan et al, 2018;Califano et al, 2020), which does not exist in hybrid models. Such electron-scale reconnection has been observed in 2D full PIC simulations of Q ⊥ shocks (Lu et al, 2021;A. Guo et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 63%

The influence of rotational discontinuities on the formation of reconnected structures at collisionless shocks - hybrid simulations

Steinvall,

Gingell

2023

Preprint

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Recent simulations and in-situ observations have shown that magnetic reconnection is an active dissipation mechanism in the transition region of collisionless shocks. The generation mechanisms and upstream conditions enabling reconnection have been studied numerically. However, these numerical studies have been limited to the case of a steady, uniform upstream. The effect upstream discontinuities have on shock reconnection remains poorly understood. Here, we use local hybrid (fluid electron, particle ion) simulations with time-varying upstream conditions to study the influence upstream rotational discontinuities (RDs) have on the formation of reconnected magnetic structures in the shock transition region. Our results show that bursts of reconnection can occur when RDs interact with the shock. This effect is much more significant at initially quasi-parallel shocks than quasi-perpendicular shocks, as the interaction between the RDs and the foreshock (only present in the quasi-parallel case) can lead to the generation of foreshock bubbles in which we observe an enhanced reconnection occurrence. In addition, we find that the RDs with large magnetic shear are prone to reconnect upon reaching the shock, resulting in the generation of large magnetic islands. Our findings illustrate that upstream discontinuities can significantly increase the amount of reconnected magnetic structures at the bow shock, suggesting that reconnection might be a particularly important dissipation mechanism during periods of dynamic upstream conditions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 63%

The influence of rotational discontinuities on the formation of reconnected structures at collisionless shocks - hybrid simulations

Steinvall,

Gingell

2023

Preprint

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“…In contrast to the hybrid simulations, reconnecting thin current sheets are universally observed by spacecraft in the shock transition region (Gingell et al., 2020), although primarily in the so called electron‐only mode (e.g., Califano et al., 2020; Phan et al., 2018), which does not exist in hybrid models. Such electron‐scale reconnection has been observed in 2D full PIC simulations of Q ⊥ shocks (A. Guo et al., 2023; Lu et al., 2021). These contrasting results emphasize the importance of studying the physics of both small and large scales to get a complete understanding of shock physics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Such electron-scale reconnection has been observed in 2D full PIC simulations of Q ⊥ shocks (A. Guo et al, 2023;Lu et al, 2021). These contrasting results emphasize the importance of studying the physics of both small and large scales to get a complete understanding of shock physics.…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

The Influence of Rotational Discontinuities on the Formation of Reconnected Structures at Collisionless Shocks—Hybrid Simulations

Steinvall,

Gingell

2024

JGR Space Physics

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Recent simulations and in‐situ observations have shown that magnetic reconnection is an active dissipation mechanism in the transition region of collisionless shocks. The generation mechanisms and upstream conditions enabling reconnection have been studied numerically. However, these numerical studies have been limited to the case of a steady, uniform upstream. The effect upstream discontinuities have on shock reconnection remains poorly understood. Here, we use local hybrid (fluid electron, particle ion) simulations with time‐varying upstream conditions to study the influence upstream rotational discontinuities (RDs) have on the formation of reconnected magnetic structures in the shock transition region. Our results show that bursts of reconnection can occur when RDs interact with the shock. This effect is much more significant at initially quasi‐parallel shocks than quasi‐perpendicular shocks, as the interaction between the RDs and the foreshock (only present in the quasi‐parallel case) can lead to the generation of foreshock bubbles, in which we observe an enhanced reconnection occurrence. The enhanced fluxes of accelerated ions within the foreshock bubble are likely a contributing factor to the increased reconnection occurrence. In addition, we find that the RDs with large magnetic shear are prone to reconnect upon reaching the shock, resulting in the generation of large magnetic islands. Our findings illustrate that upstream discontinuities can significantly increase the amount of reconnected magnetic structures at the bow shock, suggesting that reconnection might be a particularly important dissipation mechanism during periods of dynamic upstream conditions.

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The Interplay Between Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection and Turbulence

Stawarz,

Muñoz,

Bessho

et al. 2024

Space Sci Rev

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Alongside magnetic reconnection, turbulence is another fundamental nonlinear plasma phenomenon that plays a key role in energy transport and conversion in space and astrophysical plasmas. From a numerical, theoretical, and observational point of view there is a long history of exploring the interplay between these two phenomena in space plasma environments; however, recent high-resolution, multi-spacecraft observations have ushered in a new era of understanding this complex topic. The interplay between reconnection and turbulence is both complex and multifaceted, and can be viewed through a number of different interrelated lenses - including turbulence acting to generate current sheets that undergo magnetic reconnection (turbulence-driven reconnection), magnetic reconnection driving turbulent dynamics in an environment (reconnection-driven turbulence) or acting as an intermediate step in the excitation of turbulence, and the random diffusive/dispersive nature of the magnetic field lines embedded in turbulent fluctuations enabling so-called stochastic reconnection. In this paper, we review the current state of knowledge on these different facets of the interplay between turbulence and reconnection in the context of collisionless plasmas, such as those found in many near-Earth astrophysical environments, from a theoretical, numerical, and observational perspective. Particular focus is given to several key regions in Earth’s magnetosphere – namely, Earth’s magnetosheath, magnetotail, and Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices on the magnetopause flanks – where NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale mission has been providing new insights into the topic.

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Properties of Electron-scale Magnetic Reconnection at a Quasi-perpendicular Shock

Cited by 6 publications

References 60 publications

The influence of rotational discontinuities on the formation of reconnected structures at collisionless shocks - hybrid simulations

The influence of rotational discontinuities on the formation of reconnected structures at collisionless shocks - hybrid simulations

The Influence of Rotational Discontinuities on the Formation of Reconnected Structures at Collisionless Shocks—Hybrid Simulations

The Interplay Between Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection and Turbulence

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