Electromagnetic Turbulence in the Reconnection Current Layer with Anti-Parallel Configuration

Intense electromagnetic waves are often observed in the reconnection current layer in space and laboratory plasmas with almost anti-parallel configuration. The waves near the reconnection x-line potentially have an impact on the magnetic dissipation through anomalous momentum transport, driving the reconnection process that extends to a large scale. Recent 3D kinetic simulations have also demonstrated intense activities of electromagnetic waves in the thin current layer formed around the x-line. Nevertheless of these evidences in observations and simulations, the generation mechanisms of the waves and their roles in reconnection were poorly understood yet.

The present study has carried out large-scale 3D particle-in-cell simulations for the anti-parallel and no guide field configuration. The simulation results suggest that the intensity of the electromagnetic turbulence is dependent on the system size and timing. We found that 1) the turbulence intensity increases significantly associated with plasmoid ejections from the thin current layer, 2) the intensity also increases with the system size along the current density, and 3) the current sheet width increases with the turbulence intensity, but there is an upper limit. We will present the generation mechanism of the electromagnetic turbulence in the reconnection layer and the impact on the reconnection process.