Field‐aligned electrons at the lobe/plasma sheet boundary in the mid‐to‐distant magnetotail and their association with reconnection

We have surveyed field‐aligned electrons at the lobe/plasma sheet boundary and their association with reconnection in the distant magnetotail where reconnection is quasi‐steady and large scale. Asymmetric (in energy) counterstreaming electrons are detected in ∼30% of the boundary crossings when high‐speed flows are present in the plasma sheet. In 98% of the electron beam cases the low‐energy electrons are directed toward and the higher‐energy electrons directed away from the X‐line. The well‐organized (by the signs of Bx and Vx) quadrupolar pattern of the electrons indicates that these electrons are associated with reconnection. The low‐energy electrons could be the outer part of the Hall current loop, similar to previous reports in the near‐Earth region. The mean electron energy in the distant tail is a factor of ten lower than in the near‐Earth tail. Our observations suggest that the Hall effect can be detected even at large distances from the diffusion region.