title: Super-Alfvénic propagation of substorm reconnection signatures and Poynting flux.
abstract: The propagation of reconnection signatures and their associated energy are examined using kinetic particle-in-cell simulations and Cluster satellite observations. It is found that the quadrupolar out-of-plane magnetic field near the separatrices is associated with a kinetic Alfvén wave. For magnetotail parameters, the parallel propagation of this wave is super-Alfvénic (V(∥) ∼ 1500-5500 km/s) and generates substantial Poynting flux (S ∼ 10(-5)-10(-4) W/m(2)) consistent with Cluster observations of magnetic reconnection. This Poynting flux substantially exceeds that due to frozen-in ion bulk outflows and is sufficient to generate white light aurora in Earth's ionosphere.
authors: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, 19716, USA. shay@udel.edu
authors: M A
authors: MA
authors: Shay
authors: J F
authors: JF
authors: Drake
authors: J P
authors: JP
authors: Eastwood
authors: T D
authors: TD
authors: Phan