Electron-scale Vertical Current Sheets in a Bursty Bulk Flow in the Terrestrial Magnetotail

Zhou, M. and Huang, J. and Man, H. Y. and Deng, X. H. and Zhong, Z. H. and Russell, C. T. and Paterson, W. R. and Giles, B. L. and Lindqvist, P.-A. and Khotyaintsev, Y. V. and Burch, J. L. (2019) Electron-scale Vertical Current Sheets in a Bursty Bulk Flow in the Terrestrial Magnetotail. The Astrophysical Journal, 872 (2). L26. ISSN 2041-8213

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Abstract

We report Magnetospheric Multiscale observations of multiple vertical current sheets (CSs) in a bursty bulk flow in the near-Earth magnetotail. Two of the CSs were fine structures of a dipolarization front (DF) at the leading edge of the flow. The other CSs were a few Earth radii tailward of the DF; that is, in the wake of the DF. Some of these vertical CSs were a few electron inertial lengths thick and were converting energy from magnetic field to plasma. The currents of the CSs in the DF wake were carried by electrons that formed flow shear layers. These electron-scale CSs were probably formed during the turbulent evolution of the bursty bulk flow and are important for energy conversion associated with fast flows.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: Library Keep > Physics and Astronomy
Depositing User: Unnamed user with email support@librarykeep.com
Date Deposited: 05 Jun 2023 06:04
Last Modified: 17 Jan 2024 04:34
URI: http://archive.jibiology.com/id/eprint/1024

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