Visualizing the Particle Dynamics Associated with Ordered Phase Space Structures within the Diffusion Region of Magnetic Reconnection

Abstract:

We examine the phase space structures associated with magnetic reconnection within a PIC simulation by isolating features within these structures and using them as inputs into a phase-space conserving particle pushing algorithm. This tool allows us to trace particle trajectories forward and backward in time, making it easier to visualize the particle dynamics that underlie the highly ordered phase space structures that have been observed in simulation and spacecraft data. We demonstrate how this can be used to parse the dynamics of an x-line near the electron-scale, and discuss how it could be improved to be used with spacecraft measurements in the future.