Other
Scientific paper
Dec 2005
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005agufmsm33c0463p&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2005, abstract #SM33C-0463
Other
2723 Magnetic Reconnection (7526, 7835), 2744 Magnetotail, 7835 Magnetic Reconnection (2723, 7526), 7845 Particle Acceleration
Scientific paper
Magnetic reconnection is a widely occurring process (solar flares, magnetospheric substorms) that converts stored magnetic energy into kinetic energy of various forms. There is mounting evidence that a significant portion of this energy release occurs in the form of accelerated electrons with energy ~20--300 keV. 2D and 3D massively parallel PIC simulations are used to investigate this acceleration mechanism for the cases of anti-parallel and guide field reconnection. In both cases the fundamental process is found to be an inverse Landau damping that occurs right at the X line for electrons with v_x ≍ 0. These particles can stream across the current sheet and be accelerated by the inductive electric field. In the anti-parallel case electrons just away from the X line are kicked out by the -ev_yB_z/c force and spread out symmetrically along the separatrices. In contrast, for the guide field case where the electrons remain magnetized, electrons are accelerated in toward the X line by a parallel electric field in a low density region along one pair of separatrices. These electrons form a cold beam with speed of the order of the Alfvén speed based on the electron mass (energy ~5--10 keV). The main acceleration occurs at the X line where the density is much higher. The resulting stretched electron distribution emerges as a parallel-oriented feature along the other pair of separatrix arms. A characteristic feature of the reconnection acceleration mechanism is its unidirectional character, leading to a predicted strong dawn-dusk asymmetry in the energetic electrons in the magnetotail.
No associations
LandOfFree
The Role of Magnetic Reconnection in Producing Energetic Electrons does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The Role of Magnetic Reconnection in Producing Energetic Electrons, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Role of Magnetic Reconnection in Producing Energetic Electrons will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-763329