Multi-point observations of earthward fast flow in the plasma sheet by virtual satellites located in the MHD simulation domain Original Research Article

Time profiles of some physical values in earthward fast flows in the plasma sheet are observed at three dimensionally different positions by employing virtual satellites located in the three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation domain, and these simulations are done on the basis of the spontaneous fast reconnection model. In the spontaneous fast reconnection evolution, the width of the flow channel is narrow in the dawn-dusk direction, and it does not spread until the plasma collides with the magnetic loop. The enhancements in Bz and Vx are larger at the center of the fast flow channel than those at its dawn and dusk edges, reflecting the differences in the reconnection rate in the diffusion region. The enhancement in Vx is shorter near the plasma sheet boundary layer than that near the neutral sheet, reflecting the changes in the thickness of the flow channel.