Abstract
AbstractA three‐dimensional fully kinetic particle‐in‐cell simulation of antiparallel magnetic reconnection is performed to investigate the three‐dimensional development of reconnection jet fronts treating three instabilities: the lower hybrid drift instability (LHDI), the ballooning/interchange instability (BICI), and the ion‐ion kink instability. Sufficiently large system size and high ion‐to‐electron mass ratio of the simulation allow us to see the coupling among the three instabilities in the fully kinetic regime for the first time. As the jet fronts develop, the LHDI and BICI become dominant over the ion‐ion kink instability. The rapid growth of the LHDI enhances the BICI growth and the resulting formation of finger‐like structures. The small‐scale front structures produced by these instabilities are similar to recent high‐resolution field observations of the dipolarization fronts in the near‐Earth magnetotail using Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) and Cluster spacecraft and pose important questions for a future full high‐resolution observation by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission.
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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
