SM020-0005
Using kinetic entropy to identify regions with adiabatic or non-adiabatic processes in antiparallel reconnection

Thursday, 10 December 2020
Poster
Mahmud Hasan Barbhuiya, West Virginia University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Morgantown, WV, United States, Haoming Liang, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, Huntsville, AL, United States, Paul Cassak, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States, Marc Swisdak, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States and Vadim Roytershteyn, Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO, United States
Abstract:
Kinetic entropy, related to the phase space integral of f ln f, where f is the distribution function, is a natural quantity to identify and quantify dissipation in a closed physical system [e.g., Liang et al., Phys. Plasmas, 26, 082903, 2019]. In this study, we investigate the generation, spatial structure, and time evolution of kinetic entropy in antiparallel magnetic reconnection. We perform 2.5D particle-in-cell simulations with varying temperatures and number densities for the electrons and ions. By using kinetic entropy and a parametric analysis, we can identify regions with ongoing adiabatic or non-adiabatic processes. We motivate implications for the usage of kinetic entropy to study kinetic-scale physics as observed by spacecraft such as MMS in heliophysical phenomena, such as magnetic reconnection, turbulence, and shocks.
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