Role of nonlinear structures and associated turbulence generation dayside magnetosphere reconnection sites

Sharma, R. P.; Pathak, Neha; Sharma, Suresh C.; Patel, Garima

India

Abstract

A numerical simulation is implemented to investigate the role of whistler wave in the presence of the ponderomotive force-driven density modification and the magnetic field perturbation due to preexisting magnetic islands. The dynamical equation governing the whistler waves is derived and solved using numerical methods to assess their role. The simulation produced results that revealed the nonlinear structures, confirming the system's turbulent characteristics. Moreover, we utilized a semi-analytical model, applying the paraxial approximation, to estimate the scale size of the current sheet, which was found to be between 2 λ e and λ e. This measurement provides evidence of the presence of a superthin electron current sheet within reconnection sites. Qualitative consistency is established by comparing the simulation results with findings reported in the literature.

2024 Physics of Plasmas
Cluster 0