Abstract
Abstract. The location of magnetic reconnection in the mid-tail during a substorm was studied in many researches. Here we present multi-point THEMIS observations of a reconnection event in the near-Earth magnetotail during substorm. In this event, THEMIS probes stayed in the near-Earth and mid-tail region aligning along the magnetotail. This allows reconnection evolution to be probed simultaneously from about −10 RE to −23 RE down tail. The Hall current related electron streams were observed at the same time by two probes far away from the reconnection site. Before near-Earth reconnection involved the tail lobe magnetic field, the reconnection site was restricted in earthward −23 RE. When reconnection involved into the tail lobe region, the reconnection site started to retreat gradually.
Highlights
Magnetic reconnection is a physical process which produces a change in magnetic field topology, and converts magnetic field energy into particle kinetic and thermal energies
Magnetic reconnection plays an essential role in various aspects of the formation and dynamics of the Earth’s magnetosphere (e.g. Dungey, 1961), especially in substorm physics
In the Near-Earth neutral line (NENL) model, a neutral line is formed and the magnetic reconnection occurs in association with a substorm
Summary
Magnetic reconnection is a physical process which produces a change in magnetic field topology, and converts magnetic field energy into particle kinetic and thermal energies. In the NENL model, a neutral line is formed and the magnetic reconnection occurs in association with a substorm. This causes the formations of the tailward moving plasmoids and the earthward bursty bulk flows (BBFs) which transport magnetic flux, mass and energy at a high speed. The magnetic reconnection site does not remain at the same place It retreats tailward in the late expansion or recovery phase of the substorm (Forbes et al, 1981; Angelopoulos et al, 1996), as predicted by the near-Earth neutral line (NENL) model (Hones, 1976).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
