Status: this preprint was under review for the journal ANGEO but the revision was not accepted.
Contribution of patchy reconnection to the ion to electron
temperature ratio in the Earth's magnetotail
Chuxin Chenand Chih-Ping Wang
Abstract. The ion to electron temperature ratio is a good indicator of the processes involved in the plasma sheet. Observations have suggested that patchy reconnection and the resulting earthward bursty bulk flows (BBFs) transport may be involved in causing the lower temperature ratios at smaller radial distances during southward IMF periods. In this paper, we theoretically estimate how patchy magnetic reconnection electric field accelerates ions and electrons differently. If both ions and electrons are non-adiabatically accelerated merely once in a single reconnection, the temperature ratio would be preserved. However, the ratio would not be preserved if particles are accelerated multiple times. As particles are transported earthward by BBFs after reconnection, the reflection of electrons from the ionosphere and subsequently multiple non-adiabatic accelerations at the reconnection site can explain the observed lower temperature ratios closer to the Earth.
Received: 18 May 2018 – Discussion started: 30 May 2018
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Latest update: 08 Nov 2024
Chuxin Chen
CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Chih-Ping Wang
epartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
The ion to electron temperature ratio is a good indicator of the processes involved in the plasma sheet. We theoretically estimate how patchy magnetic reconnection electric field accelerates ions and electrons differently. As particles are transported earthward by BBFs after reconnection, the reflection of electrons from the ionosphere and subsequently multiple non-adiabatic accelerations at the reconnection site can explain the observed lower temperature ratios closer to the Earth.
The ion to electron temperature ratio is a good indicator of the processes involved in the...