Kinetic aspects of the ion current layer in a reconnection outflow exhaust

Zenitani, Seiji; Shinohara, I.; Nagai, T.; Wada, Tomohide

doi:10.1063/1.4821963

Cited by 30 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…66 The parameters and system evolution are similar to those in run 1A in Ref. 64 on the electron-scale structure.…”

mentioning

confidence: 52%

“…They are well developed at the time of our interest, t ¼ 35. We study this time step, because we studied other aspects in our previous studies, 64,66 and because it is early enough to avoid major effects from the periodic boundary in x. In fact, the electron jet continues to evolve until t % 44, 64 but minor boundary effects appear in particle signatures at t % 35, as will be shown later.…”

Section: Fluid Quantitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1(c) and 3 in Ref. 66). Obviously, the super-Alfv enic electron jet is responsible for the divergent flows.…”

Section: Fluid Quantitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the downstream of the remagnetization front, the unmagnetized ions form a broad current layer. 34,66 Properties of this ion current layer was studied in our previous work. 66 In Figure 2(b), it is interesting to see the electron divergent flows in the vertical (6z) directions near the remagnetization front.…”

Section: Fluid Quantitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…34,66 Properties of this ion current layer was studied in our previous work. 66 In Figure 2(b), it is interesting to see the electron divergent flows in the vertical (6z) directions near the remagnetization front. The maximum jet speed is jV ez j ¼ 1:67, also comparable with the inflow Alfv en speed.…”

Section: Fluid Quantitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pseudo-3D PIC modeling of drift-induced spatial inhomogeneities in planar magnetron plasmas

2016

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Particle dynamics in the electron current layer in collisionless magnetic reconnection is investigated by using a particle-in-cell simulation. The electron motion and velocity distribution functions are studied by tracking self-consistent trajectories. New classes of electron orbits are discovered: figure-eight-shaped regular orbits inside the electron jet, noncrossing regular orbits on the jet flanks, noncrossing Speiser orbits, and nongyrotropic electrons in the downstream of the jet termination region. The properties of a super-Alfv enic outflow jet are attributed to an ensemble of electrons traveling through the Speiser orbits. The noncrossing orbits are mediated by the polarization electric field near the electron current layer. The noncrossing electrons are found to be non-negligible in number density. The impact of these new orbits to electron mixing, spatial distribution of energetic electrons, and observational signatures is presented.

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“…66 The parameters and system evolution are similar to those in run 1A in Ref. 64 on the electron-scale structure.…”

mentioning

confidence: 52%

Section: Fluid Quantitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1(c) and 3 in Ref. 66). Obviously, the super-Alfv enic electron jet is responsible for the divergent flows.…”

Section: Fluid Quantitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fluid Quantitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fluid Quantitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Pseudo-3D PIC modeling of drift-induced spatial inhomogeneities in planar magnetron plasmas

2016

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Ion and electron dynamics in the ion‐electron decoupling region of magnetic reconnection with Geotail observations

et al. 2013

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[1] The ion-electron decoupling region where electron outflow speed differs from ion outflow speed is formed in the magnetic reconnection site. Ion and electron dynamics in the ion-electron decoupling region is derived with magnetic field and plasma observations by the spacecraft Geotail in near-Earth magnetotail magnetic reconnection. The ion-electron decoupling region has a spatial extent of approximately 11 λi (ion inertial length) along the GSM x direction, and the dawn-dusk current sheet with main current carriers of electrons exists over this region. An intense electron current layer with a spatial extent of 0.5-1 λi occupies in its center around the X line. High-speed electron outflow jets are formed just outside the central intense electron current layer. They are decelerated and become non-jet outflows with speed slightly higher than ion outflow speed. Electrons have flattop distribution functions indicating heating and acceleration in both the outflow jets and the non-jet outflows; however, heating and acceleration are weak in the central intense current layer. Inflowing ions enter the central intense electron current layer, and these ions are accelerated up to 10 keV inside the electron outflow jet regions. Ion acceleration beyond 10 keV and thermalization operate mostly in the non-jet electron outflow regions. Electrons show thermal distributions without any heating/acceleration signatures immediately beyond the edge of the ion-electron decoupling region, while higher-energy ions pervade even beyond the edge and hot MHD plasma flows are produced.

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Nonadiabatic heating in magnetic reconnection

Otto

2014

JGR Space Physics

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Plasma transport process as a fundamental problem in magnetospheric physics is often associated with strong nonadiabatic heating. At the magnetopause, observations show an increase of specific entropy (i.e., S = p∕ ) by 2 orders of magnitude from the magnetosheath into the magnetosphere. In the near-Earth magnetotail, particle injection requires strongly entropy depleted plasma bubbles, and their evolution can be strongly modified in the presence of nonadiabatic heating. In this study, one of the critical plasma transport mechanisms, magnetic reconnection, is investigated as a nonadiabatic process in the framework of MHD. It is important to examine whether magnetic reconnection can provide sufficient nonadiabatic heating to explain the observed plasma properties and to identify plasma conditions that allow such strong nonadiabatic heating. We demonstrate that the entropy can indeed strongly increase associated with magnetic reconnection provided that the plasma beta (i.e., the ratio of thermal to magnetic energy density) is low in the inflow region of reconnection.

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Kinetic aspects of the ion current layer in a reconnection outflow exhaust

Cited by 30 publications

References 63 publications

Pseudo-3D PIC modeling of drift-induced spatial inhomogeneities in planar magnetron plasmas

Pseudo-3D PIC modeling of drift-induced spatial inhomogeneities in planar magnetron plasmas

Ion and electron dynamics in the ion‐electron decoupling region of magnetic reconnection with Geotail observations

Nonadiabatic heating in magnetic reconnection

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