We have collected statistics of 81 fast plasma flow events in the magnetotail with clear MMS observations of kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs). We show that KAWs electric field magnitudes correlates with thermal/subthermal electron flux anisotropy: wider energy range of electron anisotropic population corresponds to higher KAWs’ electric field intensity. These results indicate on an important role of KAWs in production of thermal field-aligned electron population of the Earth’s magnetotail.

Earth's bow shock in solar wind with high thermal and low magnetic pressure is a rare phenomenon. However, such an object is ubiquitous in astrophysical plasmas. We surveyed statistics of such shock observations since 1995. About 100 crossings were initially identified. In this report 22 crossings from the Cluster project were studied using multipoint analysis, which allowed for the determination of the spatial scales of the shock transition and of the dominant magnetic variations

Earth's bow shock in high beta (beta is ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure) solar wind environment is rare phenomenon. We survey statistics of beta > 10 shock observations. Typical solar wind parameters related with high beta are: low speed, high density and very low IMF 1–2 nT. In this report 22 crossings are studied with spacecraft separation within 30–200 km. Dominating magnetic waves have frequency 0.1–0.5 Hz Polarization has no stable phase and is closer to linear.

This paper describes frequency and timing calibration, modeling and data processing and calibration for MMS magnetometers, resulting in a merged search choil and fluxgate data product.

Magnetic reconnection is a key process in space and laboratory plasmas which transfers energies through the magnetic field topology change. The topology change in this process takes place in a small scale region called the electron diffusion region (EDR). In this paper, using high-resolution fully kinetic simulations, we successfully obtained the firm scaling laws of spatial dimensions of the EDR. The obtained scalings allow us to precisely predict observable dimensions of the EDR in real space.

Four-spacecraft Cluster observations of turbulent fluctuations in the magnetic reconnection region in the geomagnetic tail show for the first time an indication of ion Bernstein waves, electromagnetic waves that propagate nearly perpendicular to the mean magnetic field and are in resonance with ions. Bernstein waves may influence current sheet dynamics in the reconnection outflow such as a bifurcation of the current sheet.