Plasma dynamics and heating/acceleration during driven magnetic reconnection
Abstract
Highlights of the plasma dynamics and energization during anti-parallel driven magnetic reconnection are presented. The MHD condition breaks down in the entire reconnection layer (the reconnection current layer, the separatrix region and the whole downstream), and the plasma dynamics is also significantly different from the results of the Hall-MHD model. In particular, we explain (1) how electron and ion dynamics decouple and how the charge separation and electrostatic electric field are produced in the reconnection current layer and outflow exhaust and around the separatrix regions, (2) how electrons and ions gain energy in the reconnection current layer, (3) why the electron outflow velocity in the reconnection exhaust reaches super-Alfvenic speed and the ion outflow velocity reaches Alfvenic speed and how the parallel electric field is produced around the separatrix region, (4) how electrons are accelerated by the parallel electric field to form electron beam around the separatrix region and flat-top distribution in the immediate upstream region of the current layer, and (5) how ions gain energy when they move across the separatrix region into the downstream. We will compare the simulation results with observations of MMS and Geotail satellites.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AGUFMSM21A2421C
- Keywords:
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- 2723 Magnetic reconnection;
- MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICSDE: 2724 Magnetopause and boundary layers;
- MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICSDE: 2728 Magnetosheath;
- MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICSDE: 2784 Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions;
- MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS