Structure of the diffusion region in magnetotail reconnection and its global consequences*

The kinetic structure of the region where the plasmas are decoupled from the magnetic field (diffusion region) during reconnection in Earth's magnetotail will be reported based on recent measurements from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. The structure as exhibited in the plasma distribution functions and electromagnetic fields will be compared with predictions from kinetic simulations to address
(1) how the structure influences the nature of energization for electrons and ions, and
(2) the global consequences of the structural development.

The derived picture of plasma energization will be discussed in light of the understanding obtained for symmetric reconnection from the Magnetic Reconnection eXperiment (MRX). Open questions will be posted for future investigations.