학술논문

Turbulence properties and kinetic signatures of electron in Kelvin-Helmholtz waves during a geomagnetic storm
Document Type
Working Paper
Source
Subject
Physics - Space Physics
Physics - Plasma Physics
Language
Abstract
We present a comprehensive study of Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft encounter with KHI during a geomagnetic storm, focusing on elucidating key turbulence properties and reconnection signatures observed at the edges of KH vortices. The spectral slope for electric field stays approximately constant for frequencies below the ion cyclotron frequency and exhibits a break around the lower hybrid frequency, indicating wave activity. Furthermore, MMS observes a current sheet accompanied by intense electron jets and features consistent with strong guide-field asymmetric reconnection across the magnetopause. Substantial agyrotropy (by a factor of 10) in electron distribution functions is observed in the reconnecting current sheet and at the edges of KH. Our observation presents a multi-scale view into KH turbulence under strongly driven conditions and into the dynamics occurring at electron dissipation scales.
Comment: 10 pages, including 4 figures