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Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
First Mms Observation Of Energetic Particles Trapped In High-Latitude Magnetic Field Depressions, Katariina Nykyri, Christina Chu, Xuanye Ma, Stephen A. Fuselier, Rachel Rice
First Mms Observation Of Energetic Particles Trapped In High-Latitude Magnetic Field Depressions, Katariina Nykyri, Christina Chu, Xuanye Ma, Stephen A. Fuselier, Rachel Rice
Publications
We present a case study of the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) observations of the Southern Hemispheric dayside magnetospheric boundaries under southward interplanetary magnetic field direction with strong By component. During this event MMS encountered several magnetic field depressions characterized by enhanced plasma beta and high fluxes of high‐energy electrons and ions at the dusk sector of the southern cusp region that resemble previous Cluster and Polar observations of cusp diamagnetic cavities. Based on the expected maximum magnetic shear model and magnetohydrodynamic simulations, we show that for the present event the diamagnetic cavity‐like structures were formed in an unusual location. Analysis of …
Plasma Transport Driven By The Three-Dimensional Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability, Xuanye Ma, Peter Delamere, Antonius Otto, Brandon Burkholder
Plasma Transport Driven By The Three-Dimensional Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability, Xuanye Ma, Peter Delamere, Antonius Otto, Brandon Burkholder
Publications
It has been well demonstrated that the nonlinear Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) instability plays a critical role for the solar wind interaction with the Earth's magnetosphere. Although the two‐dimensional KH instability has been fully explored during the past decades, more and more studies show the fundamental difference between the two‐ and three‐dimensional KH instability. For northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions, the nonlinear KH wave that is localized in the vicinity of the equatorial plane can dramatically bend the magnetic field line, generating strong antiparallel magnetic field components at high latitudes in both North and South Hemispheres, which satisfy the onset condition …
Local Time Asymmetry Of Saturn's Magnetosheath Flows, B. Burkholder, P. A. Delamere, X. Ma, M. F. Thomsen, R. J. Wilson, F. Bagenal
Local Time Asymmetry Of Saturn's Magnetosheath Flows, B. Burkholder, P. A. Delamere, X. Ma, M. F. Thomsen, R. J. Wilson, F. Bagenal
Publications
Using gross averages of the azimuthal component of flow in Saturn's magnetosheath, we find that flows in the prenoon sector reach a maximum value of roughly half that of the postnoon side. Corotational magnetodisc plasma creates a much larger flow shear with solar wind plasma prenoon than postnoon. Maxwell stress tensor analysis shows that momentum can be transferred out of the magnetosphere along tangential field lines if a normal component to the boundary is present, i.e., field lines which pierce the magnetopause. A Kelvin‐Helmholtz unstable flow gives rise to precisely this situation, as intermittent reconnection allows the magnetic field to …
Imf Dependence Of Energetic Oxygen And Hydrogen Ion Distributions In The Near-Earth Magnetosphere, H. Luo, E. A. Kronberg, K. Nykyri, K. J. Trattner, P. W. Daly, G. X. Chen, A. M. Du, Y. S. Ge
Imf Dependence Of Energetic Oxygen And Hydrogen Ion Distributions In The Near-Earth Magnetosphere, H. Luo, E. A. Kronberg, K. Nykyri, K. J. Trattner, P. W. Daly, G. X. Chen, A. M. Du, Y. S. Ge
Publications
Energetic ion distributions in the near-Earth plasma sheet can provide important information for understanding the entry of ions into the magnetosphere and their transportation, acceleration, and losses in the near-Earth region. In this study, 11 years of energetic proton and oxygen observations (> ~274 keV) from Cluster/Research with Adaptive Particle Imaging Detectors were used to statistically study the energetic ion distributions in the near-Earth region. The dawn-dusk asymmetries of the distributions in three different regions (dayside magnetosphere, near-Earth nightside plasma sheet, and tail plasma sheet) are examined in Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The results show that the energetic ion distributions …
Magnetic Reconnection With A Fast Perpendicular Sheared Flow, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto, Peter A. Delamere
Magnetic Reconnection With A Fast Perpendicular Sheared Flow, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto, Peter A. Delamere
Publications
Magnetic reconnection at the Earth's low‐latitude magnetopause near the flank region is likely associated with a large sheared flow, being frequently quasi‐perpendicular to the antiparallel magnetic field components. The magnitude of a fast sheared flow can be super‐Alfvénic and even overcome the local fast mode speed. A scaling analysis implies a contradiction between the Walén relation and the balance of the total pressure for magnetic reconnection with a supercritical perpendicular sheared flow. This study uses one‐ and two‐dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to demonstrate that the traditional reconnection layer violates the Walén relation but still maintains the total pressure balance in …
Current Sheet Flapping Motions In The Tailwind Flow Of Magnetic Reconnection, Mingyu Wu, Quanming Lu, Martin Volwerk, Zoltán Vörös, Xuanye Ma, Shui Wang
Current Sheet Flapping Motions In The Tailwind Flow Of Magnetic Reconnection, Mingyu Wu, Quanming Lu, Martin Volwerk, Zoltán Vörös, Xuanye Ma, Shui Wang
Publications
The feature and origin of current sheet flapping motions are one of most interesting issues of magnetospheric dynamics. In this paper we report the flapping motion of the current sheet detected in the tailward flow of a magnetic reconnection event on 7 February 2009. This flapping motion with frequency about 12 mHz was accompanied by magnetic turbulence. The observations by the tail‐elongated fleet of five Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms probes indicate that these flapping oscillations were rather confined within the tailward flow than were due to a global process. This flapping motion could be due …
Magnetic Flux Circulation In The Rotationally Driven Giant Magnetospheres, P. A. Delamere, A. Otto, X. Ma, F. Bagenal, R. J. Wilson
Magnetic Flux Circulation In The Rotationally Driven Giant Magnetospheres, P. A. Delamere, A. Otto, X. Ma, F. Bagenal, R. J. Wilson
Publications
The giant‐planet magnetodiscs are shaped by the radial transport of plasma originating in the inner magnetosphere. Magnetic flux transport is a key aspect of the stretched magnetic field configuration of the magnetodisc. While net mass transport is outward (ultimately lost to the solar wind), magnetic flux conservation requires a balanced two‐way transport process. Magnetic reconnection is a critical aspect of the balanced flux transport. We present a comprehensive analysis of current sheet crossings in Saturn's magnetosphere using Cassini magnetometer data from 2004 to 2012 in an attempt to quantify the circulation of magnetic flux, emphasizing local time dependence. A key …
Nonadiabatic Heating In Magnetic Reconnection, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto
Nonadiabatic Heating In Magnetic Reconnection, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto
Publications
Plasma transport process as a fundamental problem in magnetospheric physics is often associated with strong nonadiabatic heating. At the magnetopause, observations show an increase of specific entropy (i.e., S = p/ργ) by 2 orders of magnitude from the magnetosheath into the magnetosphere. In the near‐Earth magnetotail, particle injection requires strongly entropy depleted plasma bubbles, and their evolution can be strongly modified in the presence of nonadiabatic heating. In this study, one of the critical plasma transport mechanisms, magnetic reconnection, is investigated as a nonadiabatic process in the framework of MHD. It is important to examine whether magnetic reconnection can provide …
Interaction Of Magnetic Reconnection And Kelvin-Helmholtz Modes For Large Magnetic Shear: 1. Kelvin-Helmholtz Trigger, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto, Peter A. Delamere
Interaction Of Magnetic Reconnection And Kelvin-Helmholtz Modes For Large Magnetic Shear: 1. Kelvin-Helmholtz Trigger, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto, Peter A. Delamere
Publications
At the Earth's magnetopause, both magnetic reconnection and the Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) instability can operate simultaneously for southward interplanetary magnetic field conditions. The dynamic evolution of such a system can be expected to depend on the importance of KH wave evolution versus reconnection and therefore on the respective initial perturbations. In this study, a series of local three‐dimensional MHD and Hall MHD simulations are carried out to investigate the situation where the Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability is initially the primary process. It is demonstrated that magnetic reconnection is driven and strongly modified by nonlinear KH waves. The highest reconnection rate is close to …
Interaction Of Magnetic Reconnection And Kelvin-Helmholtz Modes For Large Magnetic Shear: 2. Reconnection Trigger, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto, Peter A. Delamere
Interaction Of Magnetic Reconnection And Kelvin-Helmholtz Modes For Large Magnetic Shear: 2. Reconnection Trigger, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto, Peter A. Delamere
Publications
A typical property of magnetopause reconnection is a significant perpendicular shear flow due to the fast streaming magnetosheath plasma. Therefore, the magnetopause represents a large magnetic and flow shear boundary during periods of southward interplanetary magnetic field, which can be unstable to Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) modes and to magnetic reconnection. A series of local three‐dimensional MHD and Hall MHD simulations is carried out to investigate the interaction of reconnection and nonlinear KH waves considering magnetic reconnection as the primary process. It is demonstrated that the onset reconnection causes a thinning of the shear flow layer, thereby generating small wavelength KH modes. …
Mechanisms Of Field-Aligned Current Formation In Magnetic Reconnection, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto
Mechanisms Of Field-Aligned Current Formation In Magnetic Reconnection, Xuanye Ma, Antonius Otto
Publications
Satellite observations provide strong evidence for the generation of significant field-aligned currents (FACs) during magnetic reconnection. Reconnection of antiparallel magnetic field does not generate FACs in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) due to coplanarity in MHD shocks. However, a guide magnetic field and a sheared velocity component are almost always present at the magnetopause and their absence is a singular case. It is illustrated that the presence of these noncoplanar fields requires FACs. Contrary to intuition, such currents are generated more efficiently for a small guide field and are more likely to be a result of the redistribution of already present FACs for …
Cluster Observations Of Bow Shock Energetic Ion Transport Through The Magnetosheath Into The Cusp, K. J. Trattner, S. M. Petrinec, S. A. Fuselier, K. Nykyri, E. Kronberg
Cluster Observations Of Bow Shock Energetic Ion Transport Through The Magnetosheath Into The Cusp, K. J. Trattner, S. M. Petrinec, S. A. Fuselier, K. Nykyri, E. Kronberg
Publications
The observation of energetic particles by polar orbiting satellites in the magnetospheric cusp resulted in a controversy about their source region. It has been suggested that these cusp energetic particles (CEP) with significant fluxes from magnetosheath energies up to several hundred keV/e are accelerated locally in the cusp by the turbulence found in cusp diamagnetic cavities (CDC). As an alternative to the local acceleration region, the quasi‐parallel shock is successful as a source region for CEP events. Energetic ions accelerated at the bow shock can be transported downstream and enter the cusp along newly reconnected field lines. Composition and energy …
Cluster Observations Of A Cusp Diamagnetic Cavity: Structure, Size, And Dynamics, K. Nykyri, A. Otto, E. Adamson, E. Dougal, J. Mumme
Cluster Observations Of A Cusp Diamagnetic Cavity: Structure, Size, And Dynamics, K. Nykyri, A. Otto, E. Adamson, E. Dougal, J. Mumme
Publications
We have analyzed Cluster magnetic field and plasma data during high‐altitude cusp crossing and compared them with high‐resolution MHD simulations. Cluster encountered a diamagnetic cavity (DMC) during northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions, and as the IMF rotated southward, the spacecraft reencountered the cavity more at the sunward side of the cusp because the reconnection site had changed location. We found evidence of magnetic reconnection both during northward and southward IMF conditions. The Cluster separation was ∼5000 km, enabling for the first time measurements both inside the DMC and surrounding boundaries that allowed us to construct the structure of the …