Energy conversion and force-balance within the diffusion region of collisionless magnetic reconnection

Abstract:

Magnetic reconnection is an efficient mechanism that converts magnetic energy into plasma thermal and kinetic energy. The studies of plasma energization and reconnection rate problem were, nevertheless, largely treated as separate entities in the past. In this work, we explore a plausible linkage between these two parallel research directions. Specifically, the thermal pressure right at the reconnection x-line is critical in balancing the force along the inflow direction. However, this thermal pressure could be depleted by reconnection inflows in collisionless plasmas, leading to the localization of the diffusion region and fast reconnection [Liu et al., 2020]. In order to investigate this potential pressure depletion relevant to magnetospheric magnetic reconnection, we use PIC simulations to investigate the role of the Hall quadrupole magnetic field, Hall electric field, and other kinetic effects in the energy conversion near the x-line.

Liu Y. -H., S. -C. Lin, M. Hesse, F. Guo, X. Li, H. Zhang and S. Peery, The critical role of collisionless plasma energization on the structure of relativistic magnetic reconnection, ApJ Lett. 892, L13 (2020).