Direct observations of electron firehose fluctuations in the magnetic
reconnection outflow
Abstract
Electron temperature anisotropy-driven instabilities such as the
electron firehose instability (EFI) are especially significant in space
collisionless plasmas, where collisions are so scarce that wave-particle
interactions are the leading mechanisms in the isotropization of the
distribution function and energy transfer. Observational statistical
studies provided convincing evidence in favor of the EFI constraining
the electron distribution function and limiting the electron temperature
anisotropy. Magnetic reconnection is characterized by regions of
enhanced temperature anisotropy that could drive instabilities –
including the electron firehose instability – affecting the particle
dynamics and the energy conversion. However, in situ observations of the
fluctuations generated by the EFI are still lacking and the interplay
between magnetic reconnection and EFI is still largely unknown. In this
study, we use high-resolution in situ measurements by the Magnetospheric
Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft to identify and investigate EFI fluctuations
in the magnetic reconnection exhaust in the Earth’s magnetotail. We find
that the wave properties of the observed fluctuations largely agree with
theoretical predictions of the non-propagating EF mode. These findings
are further supported by comparison with the linear kinetic dispersion
relation. Our results demonstrate that the magnetic reconnection outflow
can be the seedbed of EFI and provide the first direct in situ
observations of EFI-generated fluctuations.