Publications

BibTex format

@article{Phan:2018:10.1038/s41586-018-0091-5,
author = {Phan, TD and Eastwood, JP and Shay, MA and Drake, JF and Sonnerup, BUO and Fujimoto, M and Cassak, PA and Øieroset, M and Burch, JL and Torbert, RB and Rager, AC and Dorelli, JC and Gershman, DJ and Pollock, C and Pyakurel, PS and Haggerty, CC and Khotyaintsev, Y and Lavraud, B and Saito, Y and Oka, M and Ergun, RE and Retino, A and Le, Contel O and Argall, MR and Giles, BL and Moore, TE and Wilder, FD and Strangeway, RJ and Russell, CT and Lindqvist, PA and Magnes, W},
doi = {10.1038/s41586-018-0091-5},
journal = {Nature},
pages = {202--206},
title = {Electron magnetic reconnection without ion coupling in Earth's turbulent magnetosheath},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0091-5},
volume = {557},
year = {2018}
}

Download

RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Magnetic reconnection in current sheets is a magnetic-to-particle energy conversion process that is fundamental to many space and laboratory plasma systems. In the standard model of reconnection, this process occurs in a minuscule electron-scale diffusion region 1,2 . On larger scales, ions couple to the newly reconnected magnetic-field lines and are ejected away from the diffusion region in the form of bi-directional ion jets at the ion Alfvén speed 3-5 . Much of the energy conversion occurs in spatially extended ion exhausts downstream of the diffusion region 6 . In turbulent plasmas, which contain a large number of small-scale current sheets, reconnection has long been suggested to have a major role in the dissipation of turbulent energy at kinetic scales 7-11 . However, evidence for reconnection plasma jetting in small-scale turbulent plasmas has so far been lacking. Here we report observations made in Earth's turbulent magnetosheath region (downstream of the bow shock) of an electron-scale current sheet in which diverging bi-directional super-ion-Alfvénic electron jets, parallel electric fields and enhanced magnetic-to-particle energy conversion were detected. Contrary to the standard model of reconnection, the thin reconnecting current sheet was not embedded in a wider ion-scale current layer and no ion jets were detected. Observations of this and other similar, but unidirectional, electron jet events without signatures of ion reconnection reveal a form of reconnection that can drive turbulent energy transfer and dissipation in electron-scale current sheets without ion coupling.
AU  - Phan,TD
AU  - Eastwood,JP
AU  - Shay,MA
AU  - Drake,JF
AU  - Sonnerup,BUO
AU  - Fujimoto,M
AU  - Cassak,PA
AU  - Øieroset,M
AU  - Burch,JL
AU  - Torbert,RB
AU  - Rager,AC
AU  - Dorelli,JC
AU  - Gershman,DJ
AU  - Pollock,C
AU  - Pyakurel,PS
AU  - Haggerty,CC
AU  - Khotyaintsev,Y
AU  - Lavraud,B
AU  - Saito,Y
AU  - Oka,M
AU  - Ergun,RE
AU  - Retino,A
AU  - Le,Contel O
AU  - Argall,MR
AU  - Giles,BL
AU  - Moore,TE
AU  - Wilder,FD
AU  - Strangeway,RJ
AU  - Russell,CT
AU  - Lindqvist,PA
AU  - Magnes,W
DO  - 10.1038/s41586-018-0091-5
EP  - 206
PY  - 2018///
SN  - 0028-0836
SP  - 202
TI  - Electron magnetic reconnection without ion coupling in Earth's turbulent magnetosheath
T2  - Nature
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0091-5
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/58183
VL  - 557
ER  -

Download

Professor Jonathan P. Eastwood

Contact

Assistant

Location

Summary

Citation

BibTex format

RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)