Properties of Electron-scale Magnetic Reconnection at a Quasi-perpendicular Shock

Abstract

Abstract Recent spacecraft observations have shown that magnetic reconnection occurs commonly in turbulent environments at shocks. At quasi-perpendicular shocks, magnetic field lines are bent by the back-streaming reflected ions, which form a current sheet in the foot region, and then electron-scale reconnection occurs when the current sheet is fragmented at the shock front. Here we study magnetic reconnection at a quasi-perpendicular shock by using a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. Collective properties of the reconnection sites from the shock transition to the downstream region are analyzed by adopting a statistical approach to the simulation data. Reconnecting current sheets are found to be densely distributed near the shock front, with a reconnection electric field larger than those in the downstream region. By tracing a reconnection site from its formation until it is convected downstream, we show the reconnection proceeds intermittently after an active stage near the shock front. Our tracing further shows that, in addition to being originated from the shock front, reconnection in the downstream region can also occur locally, driven by turbulent flows therein. The results help us better understand the evolution of electron-scale reconnection at a perpendicular shock.