Observations of Intense Energy Conversion Events in the Earth's Magnetotail

Abstract

Using the high-resolution data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, we performed a statistical analysis on intense energy conversion events (IECEs) in the Earth's magnetotail. The results show that the average duration of IECEs is 0.14 s, and the spatial scale of more than 95% of IECEs is smaller than one ion inertial length. Intense energy conversion events can occur not only in flux ropes, magnetic holes, dipolarization fronts and magnetic reconnection region in the plasma sheet, but also in the plasma sheet boundary layer. Intense energy conversion events prefer to occur in the duskside and the northern hemisphere, showing obvious dawn-dusk asymmetry. The occurrence rate of IECEs is much higher when the interplanetary magnetic field is quasi-southward. Our results can deepen our understanding of energy conversion and dynamic processes in the planetary magnetotail.