@article{Cheng:2021:10.1029/2020JA028800,
author = {Cheng, IK and Achilleos, N and Masters, A and Lewis, GR and Kane, M and Guio, P},
doi = {10.1029/2020JA028800},
journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics},
title = {Electron bulk heating at Saturn's magnetopause},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028800},
volume = {126},
year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
AB  - Magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause (MP) energizes ambient plasma via the release of magnetic energy and produces an “open” magnetosphere allowing solar wind particles to directly enter the system. At Saturn, the nature of MP reconnection remains unclear. The current study examines electron bulk heating at MP crossings, in order to probe the relationship between observed and predicted reconnection heating proposed by Phan et al. (2013, https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50917) under open and closed MP, and how this may pertain to the position of the crossings in the Δβmagnetic shear parameter space. The electron heating for 70 MP crossings made by the Cassini spacecraft from April 2005 to July 2007 was found using 1d and 3d moment methods. Minimum variance analysis was used on the magnetic field data to help indicate whether the MP is open or closed. We found better agreement between observed and predicted heating for events suggestive of locally “open” MP. For events suggestive of locally “closed” MP, we observed a cluster of points consistent with no electron heating, but also numerous cases with significant heating. Examining the events in the Δβmagnetic shear parameter space, we find 83% of events without evidence of energization were situated in the “reconnection suppressed” regime, whilst between 43% to 68% of events with energization lie in the “reconnection possible” regime depending on the threshold used. The discrepancies could be explained by a combination of spatial and temporal variability which makes it possible to observe heated electrons with different conditions from the putative reconnection site.
AU  - Cheng,IK
AU  - Achilleos,N
AU  - Masters,A
AU  - Lewis,GR
AU  - Kane,M
AU  - Guio,P
DO  - 10.1029/2020JA028800
PY  - 2021///
SN  - 2169-9380
TI  - Electron bulk heating at Saturn's magnetopause
T2  - Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028800
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/88598
VL  - 126
ER  - 

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