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Characterization of wave-particle interactions in the flux pile-up region of asymmetric reconnection
  • +12
  • Matthew Argall,
  • Kristoff Paulson,
  • Narges Ahmadi,
  • Hiroshi Matsui,
  • Trevor Leonard,
  • Drew Turner,
  • Roy Torbert,
  • Olivier Le Contel,
  • Christopher Russell,
  • Werner Magnes,
  • Robert Strangeway,
  • Barbara Giles,
  • Per-Arne Lindqvist,
  • Yuri Khotyaintsev,
  • Robert Ergun
Matthew Argall
University of New Hampshire

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Kristoff Paulson
University of New Hampshire
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Narges Ahmadi
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder
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Hiroshi Matsui
University of New Hampshire
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Trevor Leonard
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder
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Drew Turner
The Aerospace Corporation
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Roy Torbert
Southwest Research Institute; University of New Hampshire
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Olivier Le Contel
Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas
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Christopher Russell
University of California, Los Angeles
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Werner Magnes
Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
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Robert Strangeway
University of California, Los Angeles
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Barbara Giles
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
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Per-Arne Lindqvist
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
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Yuri Khotyaintsev
IRF Swedish Institute of Space Physics
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Robert Ergun
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder
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Abstract

We investigate electron whistler wave activity in the flux pile-up region of an asymmetric reconnection event at the magnetopause. The ~140Hz waves are right-hand polarized with a wave normal angle of ~20 degrees and track the magnetic field strength, consistent with electron whistler waves. Poynting flux direction indicates that the waves were generated at the reconnection site. The waves modulated the flux of 500eV electrons propagating parallel and anti-parallel to the magnetic field, as observed by EDI. Only two of four MMS spacecraft observe similar wave activity, suggesting that the waves are isolated within a narrow flux tube. While it is not possible to use the wave telescope technique, current density produced by 500eV electrons provides a means of estimating the parallel wave vector, k, from a single spacecraft. In addition, we fit the FPI electron parallel energy distribution with a kappa function then use Liouville mapping with 500eV EDI electrons to determine the parallel wave potential, 𝝓, and electric field, E. Combining this with the wave normal angle and Poynting flux direction provides an estimate for the perpendicular components of k and E.