Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsm51b1807e&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SM51B-1807
Physics
[2723] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetic Reconnection
Scientific paper
Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process in plasmas that converts magnetic energy into particle energy while changing the topology of the magnetic field lines. Aided by spacecraft observations in the Earth’s geotail one of the main accomplishments in reconnection research is the identification of the Hall effect. While fluid models provide important insight into the Hall physics of the ion diffusion region, spacecraft observations show that strong kinetic effects take part in forming the Hall current system. In-situ measurements of the electron distribution function reveal the presence of cold beams directed towards the X-line while energized electrons move away from the reconnection region. We present a new model that can account for these characteristics. The cornerstone of the model is a field aligned acceleration potential φ ∥ introduced in Ref. [1]. This potential becomes large when the upstream electron beta is small [2]. Electrons accelerated in this potential can reach energies much larger than their ambient temperature. The combination of the direct parallel acceleration by φ ∥ and pitch angle scattering in the exhaust region generates the characteristic signatures in the electron distribution function observed by spacecraft along the separatrix layers. Our studies are aided and supported by fully kinetic simulations of reconnecting current sheets[3]. [1] Egedal J, Daughton W, Drake J F, Katz N, Le A, "Formation of a localized acceleration potential during magnetic reconnection with a guide field.", (2009) Physics of Plasmas 16, 050701, [2] Le A, Egedal J, Daughton W, Drake J, Fox W, Katz N, "Magnitude of the Hall Fields during magnetic reconnection", (2010) Geophys. Res. Lett. 37, L03106 [3] W. Daughton et al., Phys. Plasmas 13, 072101 (2006)
Daughton W. S.
Egedal Jan
Le Anh
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