Magnetotail Current Sheet Prior to Magnetic Reconnection
Résumé
The onset of magnetic reconnection is one of the crucial and still poorly understood problems. The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission provides a unique opportunity for the long-term monitoring the Earth's magnetotail current sheet prior to and during reconnection activity. Using MMS observations of a number of reconnection events in the magnetotail we investigate how the spatial current density profile across the current sheet varies in time before reconnection is initiated. In addition, we study waves in the current sheet on different scales. These waves may help us understand the role of MHD and kinetic instabilities during current sheet breaking.