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Multiscale Auroral Emission Statistics as Evidence of Turbulent Reconnection in Earth's Midtail Plasma SheetWe provide indirect evidence for turbulent reconnection in Earth's midtail plasma sheet by reexamining the statistical properties of bright, nightside auroral emission events as observed by the UVI experiment on the Polar spacecraft and discussed previously by Uritsky et al. The events are divided into two groups: (1) those that map to absolute value of (X(sub GSM)) < 12 R(sub E) in the magnetotail and do not show scale-free statistics and (2) those that map to absolute value of (X(sub GSM)) > 12 R(sub E) and do show scale-free statistics. The absolute value of (X(sub GSM)) dependence is shown to most effectively organize the events into these two groups. Power law exponents obtained for group 2 are shown to validate the conclusions of Uritsky et al. concerning the existence of critical dynamics in the auroral emissions. It is suggested that the auroral dynamics is a reflection of a critical state in the magnetotail that is based on the dynamics of turbulent reconnection in the midtail plasma sheet.
Document ID
20110011013
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Klimas, Alex
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Uritsky, Vadim
(Calgary Univ. Alberta, Canada)
Donovan, Eric
(Calgary Univ. Alberta, Canada)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2010
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Publisher: American Geophysical Union
Volume: 115
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Geophysics
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC5-494.
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX08AG73G
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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