Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Electric-drift generated trajectories and particle acceleration in collisionless magnetic reconnection

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.872555· OSTI ID:503659
;  [1]
  1. Department of Physics, UMIST, Manchester M60 1QD (United Kingdom)
Adiabatic acceleration of charged particles along magnetic field lines originates from the coupling between the electric drift and longitudinal motion in a nonunidirectional magnetic field. As a result, initially slow particles entering the reconnection site of an X-type magnetic geometry can leave the latter as substantially accelerated jets directed along the magnetic separatrices. The corresponding energy spectrum has a power-law form, with the spectral index depending on the angle between the separatrices. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}
OSTI ID:
503659
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 4; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English