HR: 0830h
AN: SM21B-0192    [PDF]
TI: Hybrid and Hall MHD simulations of the out-of-the-plane magnetic field component: Origin and Generation Mechanism
AU: Driscoll, J
EM: jdriscoll@copper.net
AF: UCSD, Dept. of ECE, MC 0407, La Jolla, CA 92093-0407 United States
AU: * Karimabadi, H
EM: homa@ece.ucsd.edu
AF: UCSD, Dept. of ECE, MC 0407, La Jolla, CA 92093-0407 United States
AU: Huba, J
EM: huba@ppd.nrl.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Code 6790, Washington, DC 20375-5320 United States
AU: Krauss-Varban, D
EM: varban@ece.ucsd.edu
AF: UCSD, Dept. of ECE, MC 0407, La Jolla, CA 92093-0407 United States
AB: Studies of magnetic reconnection predicted the generation of an out-of-the-plane magnetic field component (the so-called core field) due to Hall currents in the vicinity of the x-line. Recent observations of the quadrupole magnetic structures in the magnetotail have led credence to these predictions. However, many details regarding the scales and the magnitude of the core field remain not completely understood. We have used a combination of 2D Hall MHD and hybrid (fluid electron, kinetic ions) simulations of magnetic reconnection to address the generation mechanism and the resulting scales of the core field. We study the evolution of the system with and without a guide field. We have also investigated in detail the properties of reconnection as a function of the extent of the localized resistivity in all three spatial directions. These results along with the relevance of our findings to physics of flux ropes will be discussed.
DE: 2740 Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics
DE: 2756 Planetary magnetospheres (5443, 5737, 6030)
DE: 7835 Magnetic reconnection
DE: 7843 Numerical simulation studies
SC: SPA - Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting