Magnetic reconnection as a possible heating mechanism of the local high temperature protons within magnetic clouds

Magnetic clouds have the outstanding observational features of low proton temperature and plasma beta value, but numerous observations show that some magnetic clouds often have local high temperature phenomena. The local high temperature protons may be heated by magnetic reconnections within magnetic clouds. Here we take the magnetic cloud on 18–20 October 1995 as an example to discuss the possible heating mechanism. There is a famous protuberance in proton temperature between the front boundary and 11: 00 UT on 19 October 1995. Eight magnetic reconnection events were identified within the magnetic cloud, whose duration was less than 31 hours, and most of these reconnection events occurred within the proton temperature enhanced part of the magnetic cloud. Hence, it is possible for the local protons in the magnetic cloud to be heated by magnetic reconnections.