Fig. 2: Magnetopause crossing.
From: Direct observations of anomalous resistivity and diffusion in collisionless plasma
Observations of the magnetopause current sheet by MMS3, including lower hybrid waves and associated electron fluctuations. The waves occur at the sharpest density gradient on the low-density side of the boundary [indicated by the yellow shaded region in panels (a–c)], and the electrons move together with the waves (i.e., are approximately frozen in). The spacecraft moves from the magnetosheath to the magnetosphere, and the neutral point is indicated (BL = 0, dashed magenta line). The data are displayed in LMN coordinates (see text). a The magnitude and components of the magnetic field B. b Electron density ne. c Electric field E perpendicular to B in the LMN-directions (EL⊥, EM⊥, and EN⊥) and parallel to B (E∥). d Electron bulk velocity in the same directions. e E and the ion and electron convection terms in the M direction. f Normalized density fluctuations δne/ne. The cyan dashed line indicates the magnetospheric separatrix, which is the boundary between magnetospheric and reconnected field lines. The separatrix was identified by the strong electron jet directed away from the X line, as described in ref. 28 and seen in panel (d).
