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Detailed Reference Information |
Xiao, C.J., Pu, Z.Y., Wang, X.G., Ma, Z.W., Fu, S.Y., Phan, T.D., Zong, Q.G., Liu, Z.X., Dunlop, M.W., Glassmeier, K.-H., Balogh, A., Reme, H., Dandouras, I. and Escoubet, C.P. (2007). A Cluster measurement of fast magnetic reconnection in the magnetotail. Geophysical Research Letters 34: doi: 10.1029/2006GL028006. issn: 0094-8276. |
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Fast reconnection is crucial to magnetospheric substorms, solar and stellar flares and fusion plasmas. Ultimate confirmation of fast reconnection must be achieved by multi-spacecraft detections of the reconnection rate itself and associated dimensions of the diffusion region. Here we report a multi-spacecraft measurement of fast reconnection rate γ rec ~ V in ≈ (0.07--0.15)V A based on directly measurements of the plasma flow into the diffusion region, where V in is the speed of reconnecting flux and V A the characteristic Alfv¿n speed. It falls in the range of ~(0.03--0.2)V A predicted in steady state reconnection simulation. The characteristic sizes for the diffusion region of the width L z ~ 0.9 d i (= 460 km) and the length L x ~ (3.3--5.1)d i (= 1680--2597 km) are measured as well. The length of the diffusion region L x is determined for the first time based on the in situ observations. Furthermore, other features detected during the event also match the previous observation and simulation results. |
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Abstract |
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Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetic reconnection (7526, 7835), Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetotail, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics, Space Plasma Physics, Kinetic and MHD theory |
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Publisher
American Geophysical Union 2000 Florida Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009-1277 USA 1-202-462-6900 1-202-328-0566 service@agu.org |
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