Magnetic reconnection in quasi-parallel shocks, relevant to the Earth's bow shock, is studied by means of two-dimensional full particle-in-cell simulations. As the Alfvénic Mach number increases, the propagation direction of the waves excited in the transition region changes, and the shock becomes more turbulent with more reconnection sites. In the higher Mach number shock, abundant electron-only reconnection sites are generated with scales on the order of the ion skin depth or less. Non-reconnecting current sheets can also generate electron jets and energy dissipation can occur there as well. However, non-reconnecting current sheets with the magnetic field reversal typically show a smaller energy dissipation rate than reconnecting current sheets. In the shock transition region, two types of waves are responsible for driving reconnection: one has a wavelength around three ion skin depths (di), and the other has a wavelength less than 1 di. Electron and ion distribution functions show that in regions where the former type of waves is excited, there are two ion beams and a single-peaked electron distribution. In contrast, in regions where the latter type of waves is excited, there are multiple electron and ion beams. The waves propagating obliquely to the magnetic field bend the magnetic field lines, and magnetic reconnection occurs where oppositely directed field lines come into contact.
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Magnetic reconnection and kinetic waves generated in the Earth's quasi-parallel bow shock
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September 2020
Research Article|
September 18 2020
Magnetic reconnection and kinetic waves generated in the Earth's quasi-parallel bow shock
N. Bessho
;
N. Bessho
a)
1
Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland
, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
2
Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
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L.-J. Chen
;
L.-J. Chen
2
Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
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S. Wang
;
S. Wang
1
Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland
, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
2
Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
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M. Hesse
;
M. Hesse
3
Space Plasma Physics Group, University of Bergen
, Bergen, Norway
4
Southwest Research Institute
, San Antonio, Texas 78228, USA
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L. B. Wilson, III
;
L. B. Wilson, III
2
Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
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J. Ng
J. Ng
1
Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland
, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
2
Heliophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
Phys. Plasmas 27, 092901 (2020)
Article history
Received:
April 30 2020
Accepted:
August 18 2020
Citation
N. Bessho, L.-J. Chen, S. Wang, M. Hesse, L. B. Wilson, J. Ng; Magnetic reconnection and kinetic waves generated in the Earth's quasi-parallel bow shock. Phys. Plasmas 1 September 2020; 27 (9): 092901. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0012443
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