GEM: Occurrence and Properties of Magnetic Reconnection in Magnetosheath Current Sheets

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Magnetic reconnection is a universal plasma process that converts stored magnetic energy into particle energies. The near-Earth space provides a natural laboratory this process can be studied in-situ. This project builds on recent discoveries of reconnection in the Earth's magnetosheath of both non-turbulent and turbulent reconnection. A comprehensive survey of data from the Cluster and Themis spacecraft in the magnetosheath will be carried out to establish the observational facts about magnetosheath reconnection. These results will be used to address fundamental questions regarding onset, structure, heating and energization in reconnection as well as micro-scale reconnection in turbulent current sheets. The project involves training of one undergraduate and one graduate student and other educational and public outreach activities are planned as well. The database containing all the magnetosheath reconnection events will be made publicly available and will be useful for a broad range of other research projects on reconnection and on large current sheets in general.