Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Evolution of clustered magnetic nulls in a turbulent-like reconnection region in the magnetotail

  • Article
  • Earth Sciences
  • Published:
Science Bulletin

Abstract

Magnetic null points and flux ropes play important roles in the three-dimensional process of magnetic reconnection. In this study, a cluster of null points are reconstructed in the reconnection region in the magnetotail by applying a fitting-reconstruction method to measurements from the Cluster mission. The number of reconstructed null points varies rapidly, presenting a turbulent-like evolution of the magnetic structure. The electron density and the flux of the accelerated electrons were enhanced in this turbulent-like region. During this unstable reconnection process, a B–A s –B null structure was formed, showing flux rope features and resembling a secondary island in the observation.

摘要

磁零点和小尺度磁通量绳在三维磁重联过程中起着重要作用。本文根据Cluster星簇测量数据重构得到磁重联区的三维磁场结构,并在磁重联区内发现了一簇磁零点。这些磁零点在快速地运动,移入或移出重构区域,并不断地成对消失和产生,导致磁零点的数目不停地断变化。磁零点簇的这种急促的演变过程使得磁场呈现出类似湍动的性质,同时伴随着电子密度及被加速电子通量的升高。在磁零点簇的演化过程中,产生了B-A s -B磁零点构型形成的小尺度磁通量绳结构,并在二维投影上呈现出次级磁岛的特征。

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Greene J (1988) Geometric properties of three-dimensional reconnecting fields with magnetic nulls. J Geophys Res 93:8583–8590

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Lau Y-T, Finn J (1990) Three-dimensional kinematic reconnection in the presence of field nulls and closed field lines. Astrophys J 350:672–691

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Xiao CJ, Wang XG, Pu ZY et al (2007) Satellite observations of separator-line geometry of three-dimensional magnetic reconnection. Nature Phys 3:609–613

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. He JS, Tu CY, Tian H et al (2008) A magnetic null geometry reconstructed from Cluster spacecraft observations. J Geophys Res 113:A05205

    Google Scholar 

  5. He JS, Zong QG, Deng XH et al (2008) Electron trapping around a magnetic null. Geophys Res Lett 35:L14104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Dunlop MW, Zhang QH, Xiao CJ et al (2009) Reconnection at high latitudes: antiparallel merging. Phys Rev Lett 102:075005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Deng XH, Zhou M, Li SY et al (2009) Dynamics and waves near multiple magnetic null points in reconnection diffusion region. J Geophys Res 114:A07216

    Google Scholar 

  8. Guo RL, Pu ZY, Xiao CJ et al (2013) Separator reconnection with antiparallel/component features observed in magnetotail plasmas. J Geophys Res Space Phys 118:6116–6126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Wyper PF, Pontin DI (2014) Non-linear tearing of 3D null point current sheets. Phys Plasmas 21:082114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Olshevsky V, Divin A, Eriksson E et al (2015) Energy dissipation in magnetic null points at kinetic scales. Astrophys J 807:155–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Zhao H, Wang JX, Zhang J et al (2008) Determination of the topology skeleton of magnetic fields in a solar active region. Chin J Astron Astrophys 8:133–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Guo RL, Pu ZY, Chen LJ et al (2016) In-situ observations of flux ropes formed in association with a pair of spiral nulls in magnetotail plasmas. Phys Plasmas 23:052901

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Greene JM (1992) Locating three-dimensional roots by a bisect ion method. J Comput Phys 98:194–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Daughton W, Roytershteyn V, Karimabadi H et al (2011) Role of electron physics in the development of turbulent magnetic reconnection in collisionless plasmas. Nat Phys 7:539–542

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Wang RS, Lu QM, Nakamura R et al (2016) Coalescence of magnetic flux ropes in the ion diffusion region of magnetic reconnection. Nat Phys 12:263–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Escoubet CP, Fehringer M, Goldstein M (2001) The Cluster mission. Ann Geophys 19:1197–1200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Balogh A, Carr CM, Acuña MH et al (2001) The cluster magnetic field investigation: overview of in-flight performance and initial results. Ann Geophys 19:1207–1217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Johnstone AD, Alsop C, Burge S et al (1997) Peace: a plasma electron and current experiment. Space Sci Rev 79:351–398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Pedersen A, Lybekk B, Andre´ M et al (2008) Electron density estimations derived from spacecraft potential measurements on Cluster in tenuous plasma regions. J Geophys Res 113:A07S33

  20. Gustafsson G, Bergström R, Holback B et al (1997) The electric field and wave experiment for the Cluster mission. Space Sci Rev 79:137–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Cornilleau-Wehrlin N, Chanteur G, Perraut S et al (2003) First results obtained by the Cluster STAFF experiment. Ann Geophys 21:437

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Xiao CJ, Wang XG, Pu ZY et al (2006) In situ evidence for the structure of the magnetic null in a 3D reconnection event in the Earth’s magnetotail. Nat Phys 2:478–483

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Chen LJ, Bhattacharjee A, Puhl-Quinn PA et al (2008) Observation of energetic electrons within magnetic islands. Nat Phys 4:19–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Chen L-J, Bessho N, Lefebvre B et al (2008) Evidence of an extended electron current sheet and its neighboring magnetic island during magnetotail reconnection. J Geophys Res 113:A12213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Galtier S, Buchlin E (2007) Multiscale Hall-magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in the solar wind. Astrophys J 656:560–566

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Huang C, Lu Q, Guo F et al (2015) Magnetic islands formed due to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in the outflow region of collisionless magnetic reconnection. Geophys Res Lett 42:7282–7286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Smith CW, Hamilton K, Vasquez BJ (2006) Dependence of the dissipation range spectrum of interplanetary magnetic fluctuations on the rate of energy cascade. Astrophys J 645:85–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Réme H, Aoustin C, Bosqued JM et al (2001) First multispacecraft ion measurements in and near the Earth’s magnetosphere with the identical Cluster ion spectrometry (CIS) experiment. Ann Geophys 19:1303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Huang C, Lu Q, Lu S et al (2014) The effect of a guide field on the structures of magnetic islands formed during multiple X line reconnections: two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. J Geophys Res Space Phys 119:798–807

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Wang RS, Lu QM, Du AM et al (2010) In situ observations of a secondary magnetic island in an ion diffusion region and associated energetic electrons. Phys Rev Lett 104:175003

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundations of China (41274167, 41374166, 41474139 and 41404117) and PKU/UCLA Joint Research Institute in Science and Engineering, partly by the European Space Agency 2013–2014 Guest Investigator Program, and a working group sponsored by ISSI, Bern. We acknowledge the Cluster Plasma Electron And Current Experiment, Cluster Ion Spectrometry, Fluxgate Magnetometer, Spatio-Temporal Analysis of field Fluctuations, and Electric Field and Waves instrument teams for providing the data and the Cluster Cluster Science Archive for providing access to the data. M Dunlop and Y V Bogdanova are supported by Science & Technology Facilities Council in-house research grants. We thank the International Space Science Institute in Bern, Switzerland, and its staff and directors for partial support through the International Space Science Institute Team (from Cluster to Magnetospheric Multiscale).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Ruilong Guo, Zuyin Pu, Suiyan Fu, Lun Xie, Jiansen He & Xin Wang

  2. School of Astronautics, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Malcolm Dunlop

  3. RAL Space, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, STFC, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK

    Malcolm Dunlop & Yulia V. Bogdanova

  4. UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Dorking, RH5 6NT, UK

    Zhonghua Yao

  5. PKU/UCLA Joint Research Institute in Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Zuyin Pu & Suiyan Fu

Authors
  1. Ruilong Guo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zuyin Pu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Suiyan Fu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lun Xie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Malcolm Dunlop
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yulia V. Bogdanova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jiansen He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Xin Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Zhonghua Yao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ruilong Guo.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Guo, R., Pu, Z., Fu, S. et al. Evolution of clustered magnetic nulls in a turbulent-like reconnection region in the magnetotail. Sci. Bull. 61, 1145–1150 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-016-1121-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-016-1121-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation