Magnetic guide field generation in thin collisionless current sheets

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the Weibel instability can generate magnetic guide fields in thin collisionless current sheets in space plasmas, potentially influencing magnetic reconnection processes.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the Weibel instability can produce observable guide fields within 10-20 seconds in magnetospheric conditions, highlighting its role in reconnection onset.

Findings

Weibel instability can generate ~1 nT guide fields in 10-20 seconds.

Generated fields are mainly of guide field type in symmetric inflows.

The process may contribute to bursty magnetic reconnection.

Abstract

In thin ($\Delta<$ few $\lambda_i$) collisionless current sheets in a space plasma like the magnetospheric tail or magnetopause current layer, magnetic fields can grow {from thermal fluctuation level by the action of the non-magnetic Weibel instability \citep{weibel1959}.}The instability is driven by the counter-streaming electron inflow from the `ion diffusion' (ion inertial Hall) region into the inner current (electron inertial) region from where the ambient magnetic fields are excluded when released by the inflowing electrons which become non-magnetic on scales smaller than the electron gyroradius and $<$ few $\lambda_e$. It is shown that under magnetospheric tail conditions it takes $\sim$ 20-40 e-folding times ($\sim$ 10-20 s) for the Weibel field to reach observable amplitudes $|{\bf b}_{\rm W}|\sim 1$ nT. In counter-streaming inflows these fields are predominantly of guide field type. This is of interest in magnetic guide field reconnection. Guide fields are known to possibly providing the conditions required for the onset of bursty reconnection \citep {drake2006,pritchett2005a,pritchett2006a,cassak2007}. In non-symmetric inflows the Weibel field might itself evolve a component normal to the current sheet which could also contribute to reconnection onset.