Lower hybrid drift waves during reconnection in Earth's magnetosphere

POSTER

Abstract

Magnetic reconnection, the breaking and reconnecting of non-parallel magnetic field lines at the intersection of inflowing plasmas, is a source of abundant free energy that heats particles throughout the universe. Observations by the Magnetosphereic Multiscale (MMS) mission reveal the lower-hybrid drift waves (LHDWs) during many of magnetic reconnection events in Earth’s magnetosphere. This study examines the LHDWs during multiple events to understand the role of these waves in magnetic reconnection during which magnetic energy is transferred to kinetic energy of electrons. Initial results of this work demonstrate that βe is related to the type of LHDW observed, and the wave power and the change in electron temperature are positively correlated.

*This work was made possible by funding from the Department of Energy for the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program. This work is supported by the US DOE Contract No. DE-AC02-09CH11466 and NASA.

Presenters

  • Izzy Thomas

    • University of California San Diego

Authors

  • Izzy Thomas

    • University of California San Diego

  • Hantao Ji

    • Princeton University

  • Rahul Banka

    • Baylor University

  • Narges Ahmadi

    • University of Colorado at Boulder
    • Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado

  • Jongsoo Yoo

    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

  • Li-jen Chen

    • NASA Goddard Space Flight Center