Observations of Magnetic Reconnection in the Transition Region of Quasi-Parallel Shocks

Abstract

Using observations of Earth's bow shock by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, we show for the first time that active magnetic reconnection is occurring at current sheets embedded within the quasi-parallel shock's transition layer. We observe an electron jet and heating but no ion response, suggesting we have observed an electron-only mode. The lack of ion response is consistent with simulations showing reconnection onset on sub-ion timescales. We also discuss the impact of electron heating in shocks via reconnection.

References in corpus (3)

• A Physical Relationship Between Electron-Proton Temperature Equilibration and Mach Number in Fast Collisionless Shocks
• Electron Pre-Acceleration at Nonrelativistic High-Mach-Number Perpendicular Shocks
• Mach Number Dependence of Electron Heating in High Mach Number Quasiperpendicular Shocks

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• Direct Multipoint Observations Capturing the Reformation of a Supercritical Fast Magnetosonic Shock
• Turbulent Energy Conversion Associated with Kinetic Microinstabilities in Earth's Magnetosheath
• Observational Evidence of Magnetic Reconnection in the Terrestrial Foreshock Region
• Electron-only Reconnection in Ion-scale Current Sheet at the Magnetopause