Kinetic-scale Topological Structures Associated with Energy Dissipation in the Turbulent Reconnection Outflow

Abstract

Assisted by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission capturing unprecedented high-resolution data in the terrestrial magnetotail, we apply a local streamline-topology classification methodology to investigate the categorization of the magnetic field topological structures at kinetic scales in the turbulent reconnection outflow. It is found that strong correlations exist between the straining and rotational part of the velocity gradient tensor as well as the magnetic field gradient tensor. Strong energy dissipation prefers to occur at regions with high magnetic stress or current density, which is contributed mainly by O-type topologies. These results indicate that the kinetic structures with O-type topology play a more important role in energy dissipation in turbulent reconnection outflow.

Keywords

• Solar magnetic reconnection
• Interplanetary turbulence
• Plasma astrophysics
• Plasma physics
• Space plasmas