In-situ evidence of electron energization in the electron diffusion region of magnetotail reconnection

Abstract

Magnetic reconnection is an explosive energy-release process in laboratory, space and astrophysical plasmas. While magnetic fields can `break' and `reconnect' in a very small region called the electron diffusion region (EDR), there have been conflicting theories as to whether this region can be a place of rapid energization of plasmas. Here we report a fortuitous encounter of the EDR by THEMIS in the Earth's magnetotail where significant heating and demagnetization of electrons were observed. Additional energization was observed on both sides (immediate upstream and downstream) of the EDR, leading to a total of more than an order of magnitude energization across this region. The results demonstrate that, despite its minuscule size, the EDR does indeed contribute to the overall process of electron energization via magnetic reconnection.

arXiv comment10 pages, 7 figures; accepted by Journal of Geophysical Research

References in corpus (8)

• Two-scale structure of the electron dissipation region during collisionless magnetic reconnection
• Electron Acceleration by Multi-Island Coalescence
• Fermi acceleration at fast shock in a solar flare and impulsive loop-top hard X-ray source
• Electron Surfing Acceleration in Magnetic Reconnection
• THEMIS Observations of the Magnetopause Electron Diffusion Region: Large Amplitude Waves and Heated Electrons
• `Island Surfing' Mechanism of Electron Acceleration During Magnetic Reconnection
• Magnetic Reconnection by a Self-Retreating X-Line
• Evidence for the dissipation region in magnetotail reconnection

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Electron-Scale Dynamics of the Diffusion Region during Symmetric Magnetic Reconnection in Space
• Electron Power-Law Spectra in Solar and Space Plasmas
• The Acceleration of Charged Particles and Formation of Power-law Energy Spectra in Nonrelativistic Magnetic Reconnection
• Particle dynamics in the electron current layer in collisionless magnetic reconnection
• Using the maximum entropy distribution to describe electrons in reconnecting current sheets