Particle acceleration in an MHD-scale system of multiple current sheets

We investigate particle acceleration in an MHD-scale system of multiple current sheets by performing 2D and 3D MHD simulations combined with a test particle simulation. The system is unstable for the tearing-mode instability, and magnetic islands are produced by magnetic reconnection. Due to the int...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in astronomy and space sciences 2022-08, Vol.9
Main Authors: Nakanotani, Masaru, Zank, Gary P., Zhao, Lingling
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
magnetic reconnection
MHD simulation
multiple current sheets
particle acceleration
turbulence
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Summary:We investigate particle acceleration in an MHD-scale system of multiple current sheets by performing 2D and 3D MHD simulations combined with a test particle simulation. The system is unstable for the tearing-mode instability, and magnetic islands are produced by magnetic reconnection. Due to the interaction of magnetic islands, the system relaxes to a turbulent state. The 2D (3D) case both yield −5/3 (− 11/3 and −7/3) power-law spectra for magnetic and velocity fluctuations. Particles are efficiently energized by the generated turbulence, and form a power-law tail with an index of −2.2 and −4.2 in the energy distribution function for the 2D and 3D case, respectively. We find more energetic particles outside magnetic islands than inside. We observe super-diffusion in the 2D (∼ t 2.27 ) and 3D (∼ t 1.2 ) case in the energy space of energetic particles.
ISSN:2296-987X
2296-987X
DOI:10.3389/fspas.2022.954040