Abstract: A 5/2-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation code is used to investigate the electron acceleration in collisionless magnetic reconnection. The results show that the electrons are accelerated in the diffusion region near the X point, and the acceleration process can be roughly divided into two procedures: firstly the electrons are accelerated in the z direction due to the electric field in the negative z direction. Then the electrons gyrate surrounding the magnetic field with the action of the Lorentz force, through this procedure the electrons reach higher velocity in the x direction and then flow out of the diffusion region. After being accelerated away from the diffusion region, part of electrons is trapped near the O point, and the other part of electrons flows into plasma sheet boundary layer along the magnetic field.
GUO Jun;LU Quan-Ming;WANG Shui;FU Xiang-Rong. Electron Acceleration in Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection[J]. 中国物理快报, 2005, 22(2): 409-412.
GUO Jun, LU Quan-Ming, WANG Shui, FU Xiang-Rong. Electron Acceleration in Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection. Chin. Phys. Lett., 2005, 22(2): 409-412.