Reconstruction of the reconnection rate from Cluster measurements: Method improvements

Academic Article

Abstract

  • A remote‐sensing method for reconstructing the reconnection rate and the location of X‐line from single‐spacecraft observations developed recently is extended to a compressible plasma and an asymmetric magnetic field configuration. The method is based on the two‐dimensional analytical model of time‐dependent Petschek‐type magnetic reconnection. The reconstruction technique is applied to a nightside flux transfer event recorded by Cluster spacecraft in the near‐Earth magnetotail on 26 September 2005. The reconnection rate is found to be 3.7–4.8 mV/m; the reconnection distance is around 9–11 Re in the tail.
  • Authors

  • Ivanova, VV
  • Semenov, VS
  • Penz, T
  • Ivanov, IB
  • Sergeev, VA
  • Heyn, MF
  • Farrugia, Charles
  • Biernat, HK
  • Nakamura, R
  • Baumjohann, W
  • Status

    Publication Date

  • October 31, 2007
  • Published In

    Digital Object Identifier (doi)

    Start Page

  • n/a
  • End Page

  • n/a
  • Volume

  • 112
  • Issue

  • A10