Yao, ZH;
Coates, AJ;
Ray, LC;
Rae, IJ;
Grodent, D;
Jones, GH;
Dougherty, MK;
... Gerard, J-C; + view all
(2017)
Corotating Magnetic Reconnection Site in Saturn's Magnetosphere.
The Astrophysical Journal Letters
, 846
(2)
, Article L25. 10.3847/2041-8213/aa88af.
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Abstract
Using measurements from the Cassini spacecraft in Saturn's magnetosphere, we propose a 3D physical picture of a corotating reconnection site, which can only be driven by an internally generated source. Our results demonstrate that the corotating magnetic reconnection can drive an expansion of the current sheet in Saturn's magnetosphere and, consequently, can produce Fermi acceleration of electrons. This reconnection site lasted for longer than one of Saturn's rotation period. The long-lasting and corotating natures of the magnetic reconnection site at Saturn suggest fundamentally different roles of magnetic reconnection in driving magnetospheric dynamics (e.g., the auroral precipitation) from the Earth. Our corotating reconnection picture could also potentially shed light on the fast rotating magnetized plasma environments in the solar system and beyond.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Corotating Magnetic Reconnection Site in Saturn's Magnetosphere |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3847/2041-8213/aa88af |
| Publisher version: | http://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aa88af |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2017. The American Astronomical Society.Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. |
| Keywords: | acceleration of particles, magnetic fields, magnetic reconnection, plasmas |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Space and Climate Physics |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1575313 |
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