Monday

The coordination of different spacecraft missions allows us to investigate multiple scales in the magnetospheric current layers and detailed structure of the reconnection layer, and in FTEs. We first compare the small-scale MMS crossings to simultaneous Cluster crossings at different locations on the MP boundary layer. Cluster currents are an order of magnitude lower than MMS, since the larger separations cannot reveal the detailed current structure. Nevertheless, we find that the MP at two locations may have similar magnetic field structure, suggesting the MP has similar current structure across a wide region during specific IMF conditions. The MMS four spacecraft data show that the small-scale physical process in the magnetopause current, e.g. current carriers and current sources, have features beyond the classic Chapman-Ferraro model. The detailed plasma and field structure of ion-scale flux rope FTEs can be created by secondary reconnection in the exhaust of the primary reconnection site and in the boundary layer electron distributions seen by MMS can show complex IBL electron structure, i.e. three field-line topologies as suggested by different plasma sublayers resulting from reconnection lines forming above and below the spacecraft. The secondary reconnection required for FTE growth has not previously been directly observed, however, and we show in situ observations of a secondary reconnection electron diffusion region (EDR) beside the leading edge of an ion-scale flux rope at the magnetopause. The observation of secondary reconnection beside the flux rope gives direct evidence that flux ropes can be created and evolved in the reconnection exhaust region.