Comparisons of Primary and Secondary Magnetic Island Evolution in 2D Reconnection

Details Comparisons of Primary and Secondary Magnetic Island Evolution in 2D Reconnection Comparisons of Primary and Secondary Magnetic Island Evolution in 2D Reconnection

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsm23b2053s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SM23B-2053

Physics

[2723] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetic Reconnection

Scientific paper

Results from a 2D particle-in-cell simulation of fully kinetic, undriven, collisionless reconnection are studied to compare the evolution of a primary magnetic island formed from an initial Harris current sheet and the evolution of a secondary island formed in the electron current sheet. We find that the secondary island is born with a strong out-of-plane current density due to localized peaks in the electron density and out-of-plane electron velocity; the secondary island retains these features as it evolves, distinguishing it from the primary island. Velocity-space distribution functions reveal new characterizing structures within these magnetic islands: a distinct velocity-space-hole structure only within the primary island; elongated structures suggesting differing amounts of parallel- and perpendicular-electron heating; ring-resembling structures indicating forbidden electron energies in both islands; the existence of a less energetic, dense electron region at the center of each island. These magnetic island comparisons are of value to the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission to launch in 2014 which is capable of resolving the various types of electron distributions discussed above with adequate time resolution.

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