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2023 (English)In: Geophysical Research Letters, ISSN 0094-8276, E-ISSN 1944-8007, Vol. 50, no 23, article id e2023GL105469Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The generation of kinetic-scale flux ropes (KSFRs) is closely related to magnetic reconnection. Both flux ropes and reconnection sites are detected in the magnetosheath and can impact the dynamics upstream of the magnetopause. In this study, using the Magnetospheric Multiscale satellite, 12,623 KSFRs with a scale <20 RCi are statistically studied in the Earth's dayside magnetosheath. It is found that they are mostly generated near the bow shock (BS), and propagate downstream in the magnetosheath. Their quantity significantly increases as the scale decreases, consistent with a flux rope coalescence model. Moreover, the solar wind parameters can control the occurrence rate of KSFRs. They are more easily generated at high Mach number, large proton density, and weak magnetic field strength of the solar wind, similar to the conditions that favor BS reconnection. Our study shows a close connection between KSFR generation and BS reconnection.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2023
Keywords
bow shock, flux rope, ion scale flux rope, kinetic-scale flux rope, magnetic reconnection, magnetosheath
National Category
Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-217533 (URN)10.1029/2023GL105469 (DOI)001110552600001 ()2-s2.0-85177785004 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish National Space Board, 194/19RSwedish National Space Board, 2023/00138Swedish Research Council, 2018-03623
2023-12-142023-12-142023-12-14Bibliographically approved