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Titel |
Wind observations of low energy particles within a solar wind reconnection region |
VerfasserIn |
K. E. J. Huttunen, S. D. Bale, C. Salem |
Medientyp |
Artikel
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Sprache |
Englisch
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ISSN |
0992-7689
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Digitales Dokument |
URL |
Erschienen |
In: Annales Geophysicae ; 26, no. 9 ; Nr. 26, no. 9 (2008-09-12), S.2701-2710 |
Datensatznummer |
250016220
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Publikation (Nr.) |
copernicus.org/angeo-26-2701-2008.pdf |
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Zusammenfassung |
We report characteristics of thermal particle observations during the
encounter of the Wind satellite with the separatrix and the outflow domains
of a reconnection event on 22 July 1999 in the solar wind. During the
studied event the electrostatic analyzers on Wind were transmitting
three-dimensional electron and proton distributions in a burst mode every 3 s,
the spin period of the spacecraft. The event was associated with a
magnetic shear angle of 114° and a large guide magnetic field. The
observations suggest that Wind crossed the separatrix and outflow regions
about a thousand of ion skin depths from the X-line. At the leading separator
boundary, a strong proton beam was identified that originated from the
direction of the X-line. In the separatrix and the outflow regions, the phase
space distributions of thermal electrons displayed field aligned
bidirectional anisotropy. During the crossings of the current sheets bounding
the outflow region, we identified two adjacent layers in which the dominant
thermal electron flows were towards the X-line at the inner edges of the
current sheets and away from the X-line at the outer edges. Interestingly,
simulation studies and observations in the Earth's magnetosphere have
revealed that the electron flows are reversed, consistent with the Hall
current system. |
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