A New Electric Field in Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection

Abstract

We present a theory and numerical evidence for the existence of a previously unexplored in-plane electric field in collisionless asymmetric magnetic reconnection. This electric field, dubbed the "Larmor electric field," is associated with finite Larmor radius effects and is distinct from the known Hall electric field. Potentially, it could be an important indicator for the upcoming Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission to locate reconnection sites as we expect it to appear on the magnetospheric side, pointing Earthward, at the dayside magnetopause reconnection site.

5 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Physical Review Letters

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection in Space Plasmas
• Kinetic signatures of the region surrounding the X-line in asymmetric (magnetopause) reconnection
• Global three-dimensional simulation of Earth's dayside reconnection using a two-way coupled magnetohydrodynamics with embedded particle-in-cell model: initial results
• Asymmetric magnetic reconnection with a flow shear and applications to the magnetopause
• MMS observation of asymmetric reconnection supported by 3-D electron pressure divergence
• Asymmetric Magnetic Reconnection in Weakly Ionized Chromospheric Plasmas
• Simulation of plasmaspheric plume impact on dayside magnetic reconnection
• The local dayside reconnection rate for oblique interplanetary magnetic fields
• Particle-in-cell simulation study of the scaling of asymmetric magnetic reconnection with in-plane flow shear
• A nearly continuous observation of the equatorial plasmasphere from the inner radiation belt to near a magnetopause reconnection site