Statistical Analysis of Ion Diffusion Region Characteristics Using Scalar Parameters

Abstract. From a limited number of observations it appears that vorticity is a common feature in the inner plasma sheet. With the four Cluster spacecraft and the four PEACE instruments positioned in a tetrahedral configuration, for the first time it is possible to directly estimate the electron fluid vorticity in a space plasma. We show examples of electron fluid vorticity from multiple plasma sheet crossings. These include three time periods when Cluster passed through a reconnection ion diffusion region. Enhancements in vorticity are seen in association with each crossing of the ion diffusion region.

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Observations of energetic electrons up to 200 keV associated with a secondary island near the center of an ion diffusion region: A Cluster case study

Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres ◽

10.1029/2010ja015473 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 115 (A11) ◽

pp. n/a-n/a ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Rongsheng Wang ◽

Quanming Lu ◽

Xing Li ◽

Can Huang ◽

Shui Wang

Keyword(s):

Diffusion Region ◽

Ion Diffusion ◽

Energetic Electrons

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In SituObservations of a Secondary Magnetic Island in an Ion Diffusion Region and Associated Energetic Electrons

Physical Review Letters ◽

10.1103/physrevlett.104.175003 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 104 (17) ◽

Cited By ~ 96

Author(s):

Rongsheng Wang ◽

Quanming Lu ◽

Aimin Du ◽

Shui Wang

Keyword(s):

Diffusion Region ◽

Ion Diffusion ◽

Magnetic Island ◽

Energetic Electrons

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Power Anisotropy, Dispersion Signature and Diffusion Region in the 3D Wavenumber Domain of Space Plasma Turbulence

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-14329 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rong Lin ◽

Jiansen He ◽

Xingyu Zhu ◽

Lei Zhang ◽

Die Duan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

Wave Theory ◽

Diffusion Region ◽

Ion Diffusion ◽

Ion Flow ◽

Wavenumber Domain ◽

Power Spectral ◽

Power Spectral Densities ◽

Filtering Technique ◽

N Wave

We explore the multi-faceted important features of turbulence (e.g., anisotropy, dispersion, diffusion) in the three-dimensional (3D) wavenumber domain (k, kperp1, kperp2), by employing the k-filtering technique to the high-quality measurements of fields and plasmas from multi-spacecraft constellation (i.e., MMS). We compute the 3D power spectral densities (PSDs) of magnetic and electric fluctuations (marked as PSD(&#948;B(k)) and PSD(&#948;E&#8242;&#8249;vi&#8250;(k))), both of which show prominent spectral anisotropy in the sub-ion range. We calculate the ratio between PSD(&#948;E&#8242;&#8249;vi&#8250;(k)) and PSD(&#948;B(k)), the distribution of which is related with nonlinear dispersion relation. We also compute the ratio between electric spectra in different frames of ion flow, that is PSD(&#948;E&#8242;local vi)/PSD(&#948;E&#8242;&#8249;vi&#8250;), to demonstrate the turbulence ion diffusion region (T- IDR) in the wavenumber space. The T-IDR has an anisotropy and a preferential direction of wavevectors, which is generally consistent with the plasma wave theory prediction based on the dominance of kinetic Alfv&#233;n wave (KAW). This work manifests the worth of the k-filtering technique in diagnosing turbulence comprehensively, especially when the electric field is involved.

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Electron currents and heating in the ion diffusion region of asymmetric reconnection

Geophysical Research Letters ◽

10.1002/2016gl068613 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 43 (10) ◽

pp. 4691-4700 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

D. B. Graham ◽

Yu. V. Khotyaintsev ◽

C. Norgren ◽

A. Vaivads ◽

M. André ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diffusion Region ◽

Ion Diffusion

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The heavy ion diffusion region in magnetic reconnection in the Earth's magnetotail

Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics ◽

10.1002/2015ja020982 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 120 (5) ◽

pp. 3535-3551 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Y. H. Liu ◽

C. G. Mouikis ◽

L. M. Kistler ◽

S. Wang ◽

V. Roytershteyn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Reconnection ◽

Heavy Ion ◽

Diffusion Region ◽

Ion Diffusion

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Electron pitch angle distribution during magnetic reconnection diffusion region observations in the Earth's magnetotail

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.5194/angeo-30-109-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 109-117 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

A. L. Borg ◽

M. G. G. T. Taylor ◽

J. P. Eastwood

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Reconnection ◽

Electron Flux ◽

Diffusion Region ◽

Angle Distribution ◽

Ion Diffusion ◽

Electron Field ◽

Outflow Region ◽

The Magnetic Field ◽

Case Basis ◽

Magnetotail Current Sheet

Abstract. The Earth's magnetosphere provides an excellent laboratory for magnetic reconnection research. In particular, the magnetotail current sheet that is formed between the interface of the similar Northern and Southern Hemispheres of the magnetotail provides a relatively stable symmetric reconnection configuration that can be used to study basic aspects of the reconnection process. Of particular importance is the manner in which electrons are processed by the reconnection. Simulations and satellite data analyses of the ion diffusion region have suggested that the fluxes of electrons in the inflow regions of reconnection are greater in the directions parallel and anti-parallel to the magnetic field (field-aligned) whereas the electron flux in the outflow region is distributed more isotropically. However, this has only been studied experimentally on a case-by-case basis. In this paper, we investigate this claim by analyzing the degree of bulk electron field alignment in the outflow and inflow regions during encounters of the magnetic reconnection ion diffusion region by the Cluster spacecraft in the years 2001–2006. We demonstrate that while the median electron flux in the inflow region is indeed more field aligned than in the outflow region during some ion diffusion region encounters, the variation of the signature across events is so large that it cannot be said to be a general feature of magnetic reconnection in the Earth's magnetotail.

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