Plasma Transport at the Magnetopause in 3D Kinetic Simulations of MMS Reconnection Site Encounters with Varying Guide Fields

POSTER

Abstract

We present 3D fully kinetic simulations of asymmetric reconnection with plasma parameters matching MMS magnetopause diffusion region crossings with varying guide fields of $\sim$0.1 \footnote{Burch et al., Science (2016)}, $\sim$0.4 \footnote{Chen et al. JGR (2017)}, and $\sim$1 \footnote{Burch and Phan, GRL (2016)} of the reconnecting sheath field. For the weakest guide field case, drift turbulence at the magnetospheric separatrix was found to enhance transport and parallel electron heating \footnote{Le et al., GRL (2017)}. Here, we study how varying magnetic shear affects the morphology and plasma transport of the reconnecting magnetopause current sheet. Reconnection rates in 2D and 3D are compared using diagnostics based on particle mixing and on the magnetic field line-integrated parallel electric field. The role of magnetic shear in altering energization and particle distributions along the turbulent magneospheric separatrix is also studied. The PIC simulation results are compared to MMS observations.

Authors

  • Ari Le

    • LANL

  • William Daughton

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • LANL
    • Los Alamos Natl Lab

  • Obioma Ohia

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • LANL

  • Li-Jen Chen

    • Goddard Space Flight Center; University of Maryland at College Park
    • University of Maryland College Park, Goddard Space Flight Center
    • NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, University of Maryland at College Park
    • University of Maryland, College Park
    • UMD/NASA GSFC

  • Yi-Hsin Liu

    • NASA GSFC