Other
Scientific paper
May 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007aas...210.6102d&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society Meeting 210, #61.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.170
Other
Scientific paper
A Fermi-like model for energetic electron production during magnetic reconnection is described that converts a substantial fraction of released magnetic energy into energetic electrons [1]. Magnetic reconnection with a guide field leads to the growth and dynamics of multiple magnetic islands rather than a single large x-line. Electrons trapped within islands gain energy as they reflect from ends of contracting magnetic islands. The resulting rate of energy gain dominates that from parallel electric fields. The pressure from energetic electrons rises rapidly until the rate of electron energy gain balances the rate of magnetic energy release, establishing for the first time a link between the energy gain of electrons and the released magnetic energy. The energetic particle pressure therefore throttles the rate of reconnection. A transport equation for the distribution of energetic particles, including their feedback on island contraction, is obtained by averaging over the particle interaction with many islands. The steady state solutions in reconnection geometry result from convective losses balancing the Fermi drive. At high energy distribution functions take the form of a powerlaw whose spectral index depends only on the initial electron β, lower (higher) β producing harder (softer) spectra. The spectral index matches that seen in recent Wind spacecraft observations in the Earth's magnetotail. Harder spectra are predicted for the low β conditions of the solar corona or other astrophysical systems. Ions can be similarly accelerated if they are above an energy threshold.
1. J. F. Drake, M. Swisdak, H. Che and M. Shay, Nature 443, 553, 2006.
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