Counter-helical magnetic flux ropes from magnetic reconnections in space
plasmas
- Ying-Dong Jia,
- Yi Qi,
- Xueyi Wang,
- Nathan Miles,
- Christopher T. Russell,
- H. Y. Wei
Christopher T. Russell
University of California Los Angeles
Author ProfileAbstract
Magnetic flux ropes are ubiquitous in various space environments,
including the solar corona, interplanetary solar wind, and planetary
magnetospheres. When these flux ropes intertwine, magnetic reconnection
may occur at the interface, forming disentangled new ropes. Some of
these newly formed ropes contain reversed helicity along their axes,
diverging from the traditional flux rope model. We introduce new
observations and interpretations of these newly formed flux ropes from
existing Hall Magnetohydrodynamics model results. We first examine the
time-varying local magnetic field direction at the impact interface to
assess the likelihood of reconnection. Then we investigate the electric
current system to describe the evolution of these structures, which
potentially accelerate particles and heat the plasma. This study offers
novel insights into the dynamics of space plasmas and suggests a
potential solar wind heating source, calling for further synthetic
observations.17 Jan 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive 02 Feb 2024Published in ESS Open Archive