Electrostatic and electromagnetic fluctuations detected inside magnetic flux ropes during magnetic reconnection

Abstract

A series of magnetic flux ropes embedded in the ion diffusion region of a magnetotail magnetic reconnection event were investigated in this paper. Waves near the lower hybrid frequency were measured within each of the flux ropes and can be associated with the enhancements of energetic electrons in some of the flux ropes. The waves in the largest flux ropes were further explored in more detail. The electrostatic lower hybrid frequency range waves are detected at the edge, while electromagnetic lower hybrid frequency range waves are observed at the center of the flux rope. The electromagnetic waves are right-hand polarized and propagated nearly perpendicular to magnetic field lines, with a wavelength of ion-electron hybrid scale. The observations are analogous to simulations in which the electrostatic lower hybrid waves are confined to the edge of current sheet but can directly penetrate into the current sheet center in the form of the electromagnetic mode. The observations indicate that the electromagnetic lower hybrid frequency range waves can be excited inside magnetic flux ropes.