Magnetospheric Multiscale Observations of the Electron Diffusion Region of Large Guide Field Magnetic Reconnection

S. Eriksson , F. D. Wilder , R. E. Ergun , S. J. Schwartz , P. A. Cassak , J. L. Burch , L. -J. Chen , R. B. Torbert , T. D. Phan , B. Lavraud (1) , K. A. Goodrich , J. C. Holmes , J. E. Stawarz , A. P. Sturner , D. M. Malaspina , M. E. Usanova , K. J. Trattner , R. J. Strangeway , C. T. Russell , C. J. Pollock , B. L. Giles , M. Hesse , P. -A. Lindqvist , J. F. Drake , M. A. Shay , R. Nakamura , G. T. Marklund

1 IRAP - Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie

We report observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) satellites of a large guide field magnetic reconnection event. The observations suggest that two of the four MMS spacecraft sampled the electron diffusion region, whereas the other two spacecraft detected the exhaust jet from the event. The guide magnetic field amplitude is approximately 4 times that of the reconnecting field. The event is accompanied by a significant parallel electric field (E_∥ ) that is larger than predicted by simulations. The high-speed (∼300 km /s ) crossing of the electron diffusion region limited the data set to one complete electron distribution inside of the electron diffusion region, which shows significant parallel heating. The data suggest that E_∥ is balanced by a combination of electron inertia and a parallel gradient of the gyrotropic electron pressure.

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]

S. Eriksson, F. D. Wilder, R. E. Ergun, S. J. Schwartz, P. A. Cassak, et al.. Magnetospheric Multiscale Observations of the Electron Diffusion Region of Large Guide Field Magnetic Reconnection. Physical Review Letters, 2016, 117, ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.015001⟩. ⟨insu-03669456⟩