Energy Dependence of Electron Anisotropy and Agyrotropy from PIC Simulations of Tail Reconnection

Abstract:

MMS is capable of measuring particle distributions with unprecedented temporal resolution. These distributions will aid in the identification of key regions of the reconnecting plasma, such as the electron diffusion region and dipolarization fronts (DFs) in Earth’s magnetotail. Electron anisotropy and agyrotropy are particularly useful diagnostics for this purpose. Normally, anisotropy and agyrotropy are defined as properties of the total pressure tensor. However, such global velocity-space measures of the electron distribution can hide detailed energy-dependent variations. Using electron distributions from 2D and 3D PIC simulations of tail reconnection, we employ a combination of 3D velocity-space visualization techniques and energy-dependent anisotropy and agyrotropy measures to analyze the distributions from regions in the vicinity of the reconnection x-line, the magnetic separatricies, and DFs. For example, regions of the reconnection exhaust near a DF can exhibit a nearly isotropic pressure tensor due to the competing influences of low-energy electrons, which contribute disproportionately to the parallel pressure, and high-energy electron, which contribute disproportionately to the perpendicular pressure.