Parallel electric fields in a simulation of magnetotail reconnection and plasmoid evolutionProperties of the electric field component parallel to the magnetic field are investigate in a 3D MHD simulation of plasmoid formation and evolution in the magnetotail, in the presence of a net dawn-dusk magnetic field component. The spatial localization of E-parallel, and the concept of a diffusion zone and the role of E-parallel in accelerating electrons are discussed. A localization of the region of enhanced E-parallel in all space directions is found, with a strong concentration in the z direction. This region is identified as the diffusion zone, which plays a crucial role in reconnection theory through the local break-down of magnetic flux conservation.
Document ID
19920048660
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Hesse, M. (NASA Headquarters Washington, DC United States)
Birn, J. (Los Alamos National Laboratory NM, United States)