References

ANGEO

Annales Geophysicae

ANGEO

Ann. Geophys.

1432-0576

Copernicus Publications

Göttingen, Germany

10.5194/angeo-26-3445-2008

Reconstruction of time-varying reconnection rate and X-line location

Ivanova

V. V.

¹ Semenov

V. S.

² Ivanov

I. B.

³ ⁴ Biernat

H. K.

¹ Kiehas

S. A.

Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 8042 Graz, Austria

Institute of Physics, St-Petersburg State University, 198504 St-Petersburg, Russia

Institute of Physics, Technical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria

St-Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, 188300 Gatchina, Russia

06 11 2008

26 11 3445 3450

2008

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Remote-sensing method developed on the basis of time-dependent Petschek-type reconnection model is applied to Cluster magnetotail measurements from 8 September 2002, where a series of earthward propagating NFTEs (nightside flux transfer events) was observed. The method utilizes single-spacecraft magnetic data as an input and provides the reconnection rate and the location of X-line as an output. For the first time the method is applied to a composite reconnection event consisting of three successive NFTEs following each other without any time delay. The reconnection distance is found to be between 27 and 30 <I>R<sub>E</sub></I> in the tail. The reconstructed electric field involves three 1-min scale pulses with total duration of ~4 min. The peak rates for individual pulses vary from 0.6 to 1.1 mV/m.

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