The energy-based scaling of a thin current sheet: Case study
Sasunov, Yu. L.; Khodachenko, M. L.; Alexeev, I. I.; Belenkaya, E. S.; Gordeev, E. I.; Kubyshkin, I. V.
Austria, Russia
Abstract
The influence of average plasma energy on the half thickness ℓ of a thin current sheet (TCS) is investigated for three cases of TCSs crossings. The value of ℓ was estimated from the magnetic field data by means of Cluster observations. The obtained scaling values for TCSs, , where ρT is the thermal Larmor radius, were compared with the scaling , where and T are the average plasma energy and the temperature of plasma, which assumes a specific dynamics (conservation of magnetic flux through the trajectory segment) of the current carriers. The comparison of and Zμ shows a good agreement.