Ten-moment multifluid simulations of magnetic reconnection and current sheet instabilities

Fluid simulations are important tools for the simulation of large-scale problems in magnetospheric physics, but are often hindered by their need to capture kinetic effects. The two-fluid ten-moment model is advantageous due to kinetic features such as electron inertia and pressure gradients being self-consistently embedded without requiring an explicit solving of a generalized Ohm's law. In the past this model has been used with a local heat flux closure for simulations of the lower hybrid drift instability (LHDI) and the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission Burch reconnection event. An improved gradient-driven closure for the heat flux is added, allowing the model to capture previously neglected agyrotropic effects. Results from full 3D simulations of the LHDI and Burch event are presented here with the new closure.