Observation of Magnetic Reconnection in a Region of Strong Turbulence

We report observations of magnetic reconnection (MR) coexisting with strong turbulence in the Earth’s magnetotail. In spite of substantial electric and magnetic field fluctuations, the on-going MR has properties similar to laminar, 2D, MR including Hall and, a thin electron current sheet, and ion and electron jets. Notably, the electron jet emerging from the diffusion region is transporting sufficient off-diagonal momentum to infer that off-diagonal electron stress may support in the diffusion region even in a turbulent environment. These observations provide direct confirmation that MR can not only be responsible for but also can continue in regions of large-scale turbulence