The Complex Structure of Magnetic Field Discontinuities in the Turbulent Solar Wind

Abstract

Using high-resolution Cluster satellite observations and a multi-dimensional intermittency technique, we show that the magnetic discontinuities in the turbulent solar wind are connected through the spatial scales, going from proton down to electron scales. In some circumstances, their structure resembles the Harris equilibrium profile in plasmas. Observations are consistent with a scenario where many current layers develop in turbulence and where the outflow of these reconnection events are characterized by complex sub-proton networks of secondary islands, in a self-similar way. Although in the past these pictures have been speculated to be separately ubiquitous, through theories and simulations, the present work confirms that “reconnection in turbulence” and “turbulent reconnection” coexist in space plasmas.