Accélération des ions dans la reconnexion magnétique antiparallèle, aspects cinétiques et fluides

Translated title of the contribution: Ion acceleration in antiparallel collisionless magnetic reconnection: Kinetic and fluid aspects

Research output: Contribution to journalShort surveypeer-review

Abstract

Using a two-dimensional hybrid simulation code, we study the ion acceleration in the vicinity of the ion decoupling region of collisionless magnetic reconnection. We investigate the fluid consequences of the observed kinetic phenomena and discuss to what extent it could be accounted for in fluid modeling. The initial setup is an antiparallel current sheet in a plasma with homogeneous density. We discuss the different forces acting on the ion bulk and show that the two dominant ones are the Hall electric force and the pressure force acting against each others. A dynamic equilibrium, which might also exist in fluid simulations, is here given by a kinetic effect. We therefore explain this pressure by an analysis of the ion distribution function and show that these are the result of an electrostatic bounce motion of the particles between the separatrices. This bounce motion is a characteristic of the ion decoupling region and therefore the resulting pattern of the pressure tensor may be considered as an additional observable feature of antiparallel reconnection in satellite data.

Translated title of the contributionIon acceleration in antiparallel collisionless magnetic reconnection: Kinetic and fluid aspects
Original languageFrench
Pages (from-to)141-150
Number of pages10
JournalComptes Rendus Physique
Volume12
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2011

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