Relativistic reconnection in near critical Schwinger field

Magnetic reconnection in relativistic pair plasma with QED radiation and pair-creation effects in the presence of strong magnetic fields is investigated using 2D particle-in-cell simulations. The simulations are performed with the QED module of the OSIRIS framework that includes photon emission by electrons and positrons and single photon decay into pairs (non-linear Breit-Wheeler). We investigate the effectiveness of reconnection as a pair- and gamma-ray production mechanism across a broad range of reconnecting magnetic fields, including those approaching the critical quantum (Schwinger) field, and we also explore how the radiative cooling and pair-production processes affect reconnection. We find that in the extreme field regime, the magnetic energy is mostly converted into radiation rather than into particle kinetic energy. This study is a first concrete step towards better understanding of magnetic reconnection as a possible mechanism powering gamma-ray flares in magnetar magnetospheres.