Journal article
Characterizing velocity-space signatures of electron energization in large-guide-field collisionless magnetic reconnection
Physics of plasmas, Vol.29(5), 052105
05/01/2022
DOI: 10.1063/5.0082213
Abstract
Magnetic reconnection plays an important role in the release of magnetic energy and consequent energization of particles in collisionless plasmas. Energy transfer in collisionless magnetic reconnection is inherently a two-step process: reversible, collisionless energization of particles by the electric field, followed by collisional thermalization of that energy, leading to irreversible plasma heating. Gyrokinetic numerical simulations are used to explore the first step of electron energization, and we generate the first examples of field-particle correlation signatures of electron energization in 2D strong-guide-field collisionless magnetic reconnection. We determine these velocity space signatures at the x-point and in the exhaust, the regions of the reconnection geometry in which the electron energization primarily occurs. Modeling of these velocity-space signatures shows that, in the strong-guide-field limit, the energization of electrons occurs through bulk acceleration of the out-of-plane electron flow by the parallel electric field that drives the reconnection, a non-resonant mechanism of energization. We explore the variation of these velocity-space signatures over the plasma beta range 0.01 <= beta(i) <= 1. Our analysis goes beyond the fluid picture of the plasma dynamics and exploits the kinetic features of electron energization in the exhaust region to propose a single-point diagnostic, which can potentially identify a reconnection exhaust region using spacecraft observations. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Characterizing velocity-space signatures of electron energization in large-guide-field collisionless magnetic reconnection
- Creators
- Andrew J. McCubbin - Univ Iowa, Dept Phys & Astron, Iowa City, IA 52240 USAGregory G. Howes - University of IowaJason M. TenBarge - Princeton University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Physics of plasmas, Vol.29(5), 052105
- DOI
- 10.1063/5.0082213
- ISSN
- 1070-664X
- eISSN
- 1089-7674
- Publisher
- AIP Publishing
- Number of pages
- 18
- Grant note
- PHY090084 / NSF; National Science Foundation (NSF) ACI-1053575 / National Science Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 05/01/2022
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984428781402771
Metrics
8 Record Views