Electrostatic Fluctuations in the Electron Diffusion Region Associated with Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection

Abstract:

NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission have observed the mixture of the hot, tenuous magnetospheric and warm, dense magnetosheath plasma particles during the asymmetric electric field reconnection in the Earth's magnetopause. These electric field structures have an electron-acoustic perturbations in the electron diffusion region (EDR). Theoretically, the generation mechanism of these structures is examined with two temperature electrons (a hot trapped distribution and a warm adiabatic fluid) and stationary ions. Using the reductive perturbation technique of the finite amplitude theory, the model supports the existence of electrostatic shock due to collisions and collisionless electrostatic soliton structures. The electron-acoustic waves are found to propagate at supersonic speed above the electron sound speed and their profiles exhibit meandering motion.