Energy Conversion within Current Sheets in the Earth's Quasi-parallel Magnetosheath | CU Experts

Shock waves in collisionless plasmas rely on kinetic processes to; convert the primary incident bulk flow energy into thermal energy. That; conversion is initiated within a thin transition layer but may continue; well into the downstream region. At the Earth’s bow shock, the region; downstream of shock locations where the interplanetary magnetic field is; nearly parallel to the shock normal is highly turbulent. We study the; distribution of thin current events in this magnetosheath.; Quantification of the energy dissipation rate made by the MMS spacecraft; shows that these isolated intense currents are distributed uniformly; throughout the magnetosheath and convert a significant fraction; (5%-11%) of the energy flux incident at the bow shock.

Schwartz SJ; Kucharek H; Farrugia CJ; Trattner K; Gingell I; Ergun RE; Strangeway RJ; Gershman DJ

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