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In-Situ Observations of Reconnection in Space

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Book cover Microphysics of Cosmic Plasmas

Part of the book series: Space Sciences Series of ISSI ((SSSI,volume 47))

Abstract

This paper gives an overview of the insights into the magnetic reconnection process obtained by in-situ measurements across current sheets found in planetary magnetospheres and the solar wind. Emphasis is placed on results that might be of interest to the study of reconnection in regions where no in-situ observations are available. These results include the role of symmetric versus asymmetric boundary conditions, the identification of the onset conditions, the reconnection rates, and the spatial and temporal scales. Special attention is paid to observations in the so-called diffusion region surrounding the reconnection sites, where ions and eventually also electrons become demagnetized and reconnection is initiated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany

    Götz Paschmann

  2. Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA

    Marit Øieroset & Tai Phan

Authors
  1. Götz Paschmann
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  2. Marit Øieroset
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  3. Tai Phan
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Correspondence to Götz Paschmann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Imperial College London, London, UK

    André Balogh  & Peter Cargill  & 

  2. Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Andrei Bykov

  3. Euratom/UKAEA Fusion Association, Abingdon, UK

    Richard Dendy

  4. LPC2E/CNRS-University of Orleans, Orleans Cedex 2, France

    Thierry Dudok de Wit

  5. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA, USA

    John Raymond

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Paschmann, G., Øieroset, M., Phan, T. (2013). In-Situ Observations of Reconnection in Space. In: Balogh, A., Bykov, A., Cargill, P., Dendy, R., Dudok de Wit, T., Raymond, J. (eds) Microphysics of Cosmic Plasmas. Space Sciences Series of ISSI, vol 47. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7413-6_12

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