Open this publication in new window or tab >>Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology, Physics, Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala Division.
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2016 (English)In: Geophysical Research Letters, ISSN 0094-8276, E-ISSN 1944-8007, Vol. 43, no 13, p. 6724-6733Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
We present observations of asymmetric magnetic reconnection showing evidence of electron demagnetization in the electron outflow. The observations were made at the magnetopause by the four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft, separated by approximate to 15km. The reconnecting current sheet has negligible guide field, and all four spacecraft likely pass close to the electron diffusion region just south of the X line. In the electron outflow near the X line, all four spacecraft observe highly structured electron distributions in a region comparable to a few electron gyroradii. The distributions consist of a core with T-vertical bar>T and a nongyrotropic crescent perpendicular to the magnetic field. The crescents are associated with finite gyroradius effects of partly demagnetized electrons. These observations clearly demonstrate the manifestation of finite gyroradius effects in an electron-scale reconnection current sheet.
Keywords
magnetic reconnection, electron demagnetization, finite gyroradius effects, electron diffusion region
National Category
Geophysics Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-304453 (URN)10.1002/2016GL069205 (DOI)000380901600006 ()
Funder
Swedish National Space Board, 23/12:2 175/15
2016-10-052016-10-052017-11-30Bibliographically approved