Faster Form of Electron Magnetic Reconnection with a Finite Length X-Line

Pyakurel, P.  S.; Shay, M.  A.; Drake, J.  F.; Phan, T.  D.; Cassak, P.  A.; Verniero, J.  L.

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.127.155101

Faster Form of Electron Magnetic Reconnection with a Finite Length X-Line

Journal Article · Thu Oct 07 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.127.155101· OSTI ID:1980215

^[1]; Shay, M. A. ^[2]; Drake, J. F. ^[3]; Phan, T. D. ^[4]; Cassak, P. A. ^[5]; Verniero, J. L. ^[4]

Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Space Sciences Lab.; OSTI
Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)
Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Space Sciences Lab.
West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)

Observations in Earth’s turbulent magnetosheath downstream of a quasiparallel bow shock reveal a prevalence of electron-scale current sheets favorable for electron-only reconnection where ions are not coupled to the reconnecting magnetic fields. In small-scale turbulence, magnetic structures associated with intense current sheets are limited in all dimensions. And since the coupling of ions are constrained by a minimum length scale, the dynamics of electron reconnection is likely to be 3D. Here, both 2D and 3D kinetic particle-in-cell simulations are used to investigate electron-only reconnection, focusing on the reconnection rate and associated electron flows. A new form of 3D electron-only reconnection spontaneously develops where the magnetic X-line is localized in the out-of-plane (z) direction. The consequence is an enhancement of the reconnection rate compared with two dimensions, which results from differential mass flux out of the diffusion region along z, enabling a faster inflow velocity and thus a larger reconnection rate. This outflow along z is due to the magnetic tension force in z just as the conventional exhaust tension force, allowing particles to leave the diffusion region efficiently along z unlike the 2D configuration.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States); Univ. of California, Oakland, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0020294; AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1980215

Journal Information:: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 15 Vol. 127; ISSN 0031-9007

Publisher:: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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