Examination of Energetic Electron Acceleration in the Vicinity of Earth's Dayside Magnetopause with MMS
Résumé
The Magnetospheic Multiscale Fly's Eye Energetic Particle Spectrometer instrument has made the first observations of energetic particle acceleration near a low-latitude dayside magnetic reconnection region at the Earth's magnetopause. The study by Jaynes et al. (2016) observed particle energization at the magnetospheric edge of a reconnection jet, concurrently with whistler-mode and broadband electrostatic waves during an event on 19 September 2015. Investigating the spatial regions and occurrence rate of these hundreds of keV electrons may provide insight into the generation of the relativistic radiation belt population. In this investigation we build a dataset of these energetic particle acceleration events in order to characterize the observations by determining the occurrence rate, production region, and associated wave activity. Additionally, we show a few events in microscopic detail and examine the intricate plasma and wave parameters to uncover the cause of such prompt and intense electron acceleration.