First Observations of Kinetic Electric Field Events Observed by MMS in the Bursty Bulk Flow Region
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Katherine Goodrich1, Robert Ergun2, Frederick D Wilder1, Roy B Torbert3, James L Burch4, Per-Arne Lindqvist5, Yuri V Khotyaintsev6, Robert J Strangeway7 and Mark Chutter8, (1)University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States, (2)Univ Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States, (3)Univ New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States, (4)Southwest Research Institute San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States, (5)KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, (6)IRF Swedish Institute of Space Physics Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden, (7)University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, (8)University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
Abstract:
We present the first results of kinetic electric field signatures observed in the Bursty Bulk Flow (BBF) Braking region by MMS. The Magnetosphere Multi-scale (MMS) spacecraft were launched into the Earth’s magnetosphere in March 2015 with the objective of observing the microphysics of magnetic reconnection. Since then, all four spacecraft have been orbiting the Earth in its commissioning phase. During this time, spacecraft perigees were primarily in the BBF Braking region (6 – 12 Earth radii tailword). This region, previously examined by the THEMIS spacecraft, has shown evidence of turbulent magnetic fields, large amplitude kinetic electric field events and bursty, high velocity, Earthward bulk particle flows. These bursty bulk flows are considered to be a direct consequence of magnetic reconnection further in the tail. The benefit of MMS in this region is two-fold. It allows for calibration for observations highly similar to the phenomena observed near reconnection events (electron phase holes, double layers, etc.), but can also offer higher spatial and temporal resolution of the BBF Braking region than ever before which can offer more insight as to its characteristics and its overall effect on Earth.
