MMS observations of small magnetic flux ropes in the near-tail (X > -11 Re)

Magnetic reconnection is the most important energy conversion process in the Earth's magnetotail. Flux ropes are helical magnetic structures created by multiple X-line reconnection in the tail current sheet in the presence of a guide field in the east - west direction. Many numerical simulations predict that the formation of small flux ropes, referred to as secondary islands, takes place as reconnection transitions from the slow Sweet-Parker mode to fast reconnection with inertial scale neutral points. High time resolution MMS magnetic and electric fields measurements are near ideal for the investigation of secondary island - type flux ropes carried Earthward from downstream reconnnection sites, as well as their interaction with the strong dipolar magnetic fields of the inner magnetosphere. We present and analyze initial MMS magnetic field measurements of small flux ropes in the near-tail during the commissioning phase while the spacecraft were in a "string-­of-­pearls" configuration.