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Delcourt et al. 2006
Delcourt, D.C., Malova, H.V. and Zelenyi, L.M. (2006). Quasi-adiabaticity in bifurcated current sheets. Geophysical Research Letters 33: doi: 10.1029/2005GL025463. issn: 0094-8276.

We examine the non-linear dynamics of charged particles in "bifurcated" (double-humped) current sheets. We show that, when the adiabaticity parameter $kappa$ is of the order unity, particles experience a negligible change of magnetic moment. Such a behavior contrasts with the prominent magnetic moment scattering that is achieved in single-humped current sheets at such $kappa$ values. It resembles the quasi-adiabatic (Speiser-type) behaviors that is obtained at $kappa$ $ll$ 1 as a result of resonance between the fast oscillation about the midplane and the slow gyromotion near this plane. We demonstrate that beams of $kappa$ ≈ 1 particles may form downstream of bifurcated current sheets, which propagate along the magnetic field lines up to high latitudes. Quasi-adiabaticity and associated beam formation thus occur at significantly larger $kappa$ values in double-humped current sheets than in single-humped ones, or equivalently for lower particle energy and/or weaker field reversal.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Plasma sheet, Space Plasma Physics, Charged particle motion and acceleration, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetotail boundary layers, Magnetospheric Physics, Numerical modeling
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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