MMS observations of plasma waves and electron energization

Abstract:

Here we present a magnetopause reconnection event with a guide field By (By/Bt~1:1) observed by Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS). In this event there are multiple wave modes, such as electron Alfvenic mode, broadband waves between the lower-hybrid and electron cyclotron frequencies, exist in the vicinity of the electron diffusion region and the separatrix. And the electron velocity distribution functions show that bi-stream electron thermal velocities along the magnetic field are near to electron Alfven speed (~7000km/s). The phase speed of a wave in 150-300Hz frequency band, obtained by singular value decomposition (SVD) method, is about 0.7 times of electron Alfven speed. The wave-particle interactions and electron energization processes are investigated.