Hodographic approach for determining spacecraft trajectories through magnetic reconnection diffusion regions

We develop an algorithm that finds a trajectory through simulations of magnetic reconnection along which input Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft observations are matched. Using two‐dimensional particle‐in‐cell simulations of asymmetric reconnection, the method is applied to a magnetopause e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2017-02, Vol.44 (4), p.1625-1633
Main Authors: Shuster, J. R., Argall, M. R., Torbert, R. B., Chen, L.‐J., Farrugia, C. J., Alm, L., Wang, S., Daughton, W., Gershman, D. J., Giles, B. L., Russell, C. T., Burch, J. L., Pollock, C. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Computation
Computer simulation
Diffusion
Electron diffusion
electron diffusion region
electron distribution functions
Geomagnetism
Geophysics
Kinetics
Magnetic fields
magnetic hodogram
Magnetic reconnection
Magnetopause
Magnetospheres
Magnets
Nondestructive testing
Particle in cell technique
Spacecraft
Spacecraft trajectories
Time measurement
Trajectories
Velocity
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Summary:We develop an algorithm that finds a trajectory through simulations of magnetic reconnection along which input Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft observations are matched. Using two‐dimensional particle‐in‐cell simulations of asymmetric reconnection, the method is applied to a magnetopause electron diffusion region (EDR) encountered by the MMS spacecraft to facilitate interpretation of the event based on fully kinetic models. The recently discovered crescent‐shaped electron velocity distributions measured by MMS in the EDR are consistent with simulation distributions at the corresponding time along the computed trajectory. Key Points New algorithm enables determination of spacecraft trajectories through the magnetic reconnection diffusion region Crescent‐shaped electron distributions occur at the location along the computed trajectory corresponding to the time MMS measured crescents
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/2017GL072570