Lower Hybrid Drift Waves and Energy Transfer near the Electron Diffusion Regions of Magnetic Reconnection*

Kinetic plasma waves are considered to play important roles in the dissipation process during collisionless magnetic reconnection beyond its standard two-dimensional and laminar models. One of the candidate waves is lower hybrid drift waves (LHDW) which are often observed within or nearby the electron diffusion regions (EDR) both in the laboratory and in space [1]. Here we present the results from analyzing measurements during 17 magnetopause and 10 magnetotail reconnection events by Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission. Our analysis shows that LHDW type depends on the electron beta, as electron beta increases LHDWs become more electromagnetic in nature, consistent with previous measurements in the lab [2,3] and in space [4]. The acceleration/heating is higher in electrostatic LHDWs and it is mostly in parallel direction, consistent with the recent results from the lab [5]. LHDW properties from MMS observations are compared quantitatively with linear dispersion theory [4], and its role during reconnection will be discussed.

[1] H. Ji et al., Space Science Reviews 219, 76 (2023).

[2] T. Carter et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 015001 (2002).

[3] H. Ji et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 115001  (2004).

[4] J. Yoo et al., Geophys. Res. Lett. 47, e2020GL087192 (2020).

[5] J. Yoo et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 145101 (2024).