Abstract
Based on whistler mode group velocity cones radiated by electromagnetic perturbations (EMPs) in the diffusion region, we predict the magnetic reconnection rates R as a function of the half-width w of the current sheet in the diffusion region. Since an EMP in the diffusion region has a finite width transverse to the ambient magnetic field, its perpendicular wave number (k⊥) spectrum also has a finite width. We first give the rates (R) for monochromatic (discrete) values of k⊥ proportional to w−1. Such rates are used to determine the rates averaged over the wave-number spectrum of a Gaussian-shaped EMP. We compare the predictions on R with results from numerical simulations and satellite observations, showing remarkable agreement.