Magnetic reconnection of the self-generated magnetic fields in laser-plasma interaction is an important laboratory method for modeling high-energy density astronomical and astrophysical phenomena.We use the Martin-Pup...Magnetic reconnection of the self-generated magnetic fields in laser-plasma interaction is an important laboratory method for modeling high-energy density astronomical and astrophysical phenomena.We use the Martin-Puplett interferometer(MPI)polarimeter to probe the peripheral magnetic fields generated in the common magnetic reconnection configuration,two separated coplanar plane targets,in laser-target interaction.We introduce a new method that can obtain polarization information from the interference pattern instead of the sinusoidal function fitting of the intensity.A bidirectional magnetic field is observed from the side view,which is consistent with the magneto-hydro-dynamical(MHD)simulation results of self-generated magnetic field reconnection.We find that the cancellation of reverse magnetic fields after averaging and integration along the observing direction could reduce the magnetic field strength by one to two orders of magnitude.It indicates that imaging resolution can significantly affect the accuracy of measured magnetic field strength.展开更多
Magnetic reconnection processes in three-dimensional(3D)complex field configurations have been investigated in different magneto-plasma systems in space,laboratory,and astrophysical systems.Two-dimensional(2D)features...Magnetic reconnection processes in three-dimensional(3D)complex field configurations have been investigated in different magneto-plasma systems in space,laboratory,and astrophysical systems.Two-dimensional(2D)features of magnetic reconnection have been well developed and applied successfully to systems with symmetrical property,such as toroidal fusion plasmas and laboratory experiments with an axial symmetry.But in asymmetric systems,the 3D features are inevitably different from those in the 2D case.Magnetic reconnection structures in multiple celestial body systems,particularly star-planet-Moon systems,bring fresh insights to the understanding of the 3D geometry of reconnection.Thus,we take magnetic reconnection in an ancient solar-lunar terrestrial magneto-plasma system as an example by using its crucial parameters approximately estimated already and also some specific applications in pathways for energy and matter transports among Earth,ancient Moon,and the interplanetary magnetic field(IMF).Then,magnetic reconnection of the ancient lunar-terrestrial magnetospheres with the IMF is investigated numerically in this work.In a 3D simulation for the Earth-Moon-IMF system,topological features of complex magnetic reconnection configurations and dynamical characteristics of magnetic reconnection processes are studied.It is found that a coupled lunar-terrestrial magnetosphere is formed,and under various IMF orientations,multiple X-points emerge at distinct locations,showing three typical magnetic reconnection structures in such a geometry,i.e.,the X-line,the triple current sheets,and the A-B null pairs.The results can conduce to further understanding of reconnection physics in 3D for plasmas in complex magnetic configurations,and also a possible mechanism for energy and matters transport in evolutions of similar astrophysical systems.展开更多
Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are performed to study the coupling between ion and electron motions in collisionless magnetic reconnection.The electron diffusion region(EDR),where the electron motions ar...Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are performed to study the coupling between ion and electron motions in collisionless magnetic reconnection.The electron diffusion region(EDR),where the electron motions are demagnetized,is found to have a two-layer structure:an inner EDR near the reconnection site and an outer EDR that is elongated to nearly 10 ion inertial lengths in the outflow direction.In the inner EDR,the speed of the electron outflow increases when the electrons move away from the X line.In the outer EDR,the speed of the electron outflow first increases and then decreases until the electrons reach the boundary of the outer EDR.In the boundary of the outer EDR,the magnetic field piles up and forms a depolarization front.From the perspective of the fluid,a force analysis on the formation of electron and ion outflows has also been investigated.Around the X line,the electrons are accelerated by the reconnection electric field in the out-of-plane direction.When the electrons move away from the X line,we find that the Lorentz force converts the direction of the accelerated electrons to the x direction,forming an electron outflow.Both electric field forces and electron gradient forces tend to drag the electron outflow.Ion acceleration along the x direction is caused by the Lorentz force,whereas the pressure gradient force tends to decelerate the ion outflow.Although these two terms are important,their effects on ions are almost offset.The Hall electric field force does positive work on ions and is not negligible.The ions are continuously accelerated,and the ion and electron outflow velocities are almost the same near the depolarization front.展开更多
We conducted 2-D particle-in-cell simulations to investigate the impact of boundary conditions on the evolution of magnetic reconnection. The results demonstrate that the boundary conditions are crucial to this evolut...We conducted 2-D particle-in-cell simulations to investigate the impact of boundary conditions on the evolution of magnetic reconnection. The results demonstrate that the boundary conditions are crucial to this evolution. Specifically, in the cases of traditional periodic boundary(PB) and fully-opened boundary(OB) conditions, the evolutions are quite similar before the system achieves the fastest reconnection rate. However, differences emerge between the two cases afterward. In the PB case, the reconnection electric field experiences a rapid decline and even becomes negative, indicating a reversal of the reconnection process. In contrast, the system maintains a fast reconnection stage in the OB case. Suprathermal electrons are generated near the separatrix and in the exhaust region of both simulation cases. In the electron density depletion layer and the dipolarization front region, a larger proportion of suprathermal electrons are produced in the OB case. Medium-energy electrons are mainly located in the vicinity of the X-line and downstream of the reconnection site in both cases. However, in the OB case, they can also be generated in the electron holes along the separatrix. Before the reverse reconnection stage, no high-energy electrons are present in the PB case. In contrast, about 20% of the electrons in the thin and elongated electron current layer are high-energy in the OB case.展开更多
Based on current sheet flapping motion on 27 August 2018 in the dusk flank magnetotail,as recorded by instruments aboard Magnetospheric Multiscale(MMS)spacecraft,we present the first study of guide field reconnection ...Based on current sheet flapping motion on 27 August 2018 in the dusk flank magnetotail,as recorded by instruments aboard Magnetospheric Multiscale(MMS)spacecraft,we present the first study of guide field reconnection observed in the flux rope embedded in kink-like flapping current sheets near the dusk-side flank of the magnetotail.Unlike more common magnetotail reconnections,which are symmetric,these asymmetric small-scale(λ_(i)~650 km)reconnections were found in the highly twisted current sheet when the direction normal to the sheet changes from the Z direction into the Y direction.The unique feature of this unusual reconnection is that the reconnection jets are along the Z direction-different from outflow in the X direction,which is the more usual situation.This vertical reconnection jet is parallel or antiparallel to the up-and-down motion of the tail’s current sheet.The normalized reconnection rate R is estimated to be~0.1.Our results indicate that such asymmetric reconnections can significantly enlarge current sheet flapping,with large oscillation amplitudes.This letter presents direct evidence of guide field reconnection in a highly twisted current sheet,characterized by enlarged current sheet flapping as a consequence of the reconnection outflow.展开更多
An Ellerman Bomb(EB)is a kind of small scale reconnection event,which is ubiquitously formed in the upper photosphere or the lower chromosphere.The low temperature(<10,000 K)and high density(~1019–1022)plasma ther...An Ellerman Bomb(EB)is a kind of small scale reconnection event,which is ubiquitously formed in the upper photosphere or the lower chromosphere.The low temperature(<10,000 K)and high density(~1019–1022)plasma there makes the magnetic reconnection process strongly influenced by partially ionized effects and radiative cooling.This work studies the highβmagnetic reconnection near the solar temperature minimum region based on high-resolution 2.5D magnetohydrodynamics simulations.The time-dependent ionization degree of hydrogen and helium are included to realize more realistic diffusivities,viscosity and radiative cooling in simulations.Numerical results show that the reconnection rate is smaller than 0.01 and decreases with time during the early quasi-steady stage,then sharply increases to a value above 0.05 in the later stage as the plasmoid instability takes place.Both the large value ofηen(magnetic diffusion caused by the electron-neutral collision)and the plasmoid instability contribute to the fast magnetic reconnection in the EB-like event.The interactions and coalescence of plasmoids strongly enhance the local compression heating effect,which becomes the dominant mechanism for heating in EBs after plasmoid instability appears.However,the Joule heating contributed byηen can play a major role to heat plasmas when the magnetic reconnection in EBs is during the quasi-steady stage with smaller temperature increases.The results also show that the radiative cooling effect suppresses the temperature increase to a reasonable range,and increases the reconnection rate and generation of thermal energy.展开更多
The dynamics of low-β magnetic reconnection(MR) driven by laser interaction with a capacitor–coil target are reexamined by simulations in this paper. We compare two cases MR and non-MR(also referred as AP-case and P...The dynamics of low-β magnetic reconnection(MR) driven by laser interaction with a capacitor–coil target are reexamined by simulations in this paper. We compare two cases MR and non-MR(also referred as AP-case and P-case standing for the anti-parallel and parallel magnetic field lines, respectively) to distinguish the different characteristics between them.We find that only in the AP-case the reconnection electric field shows up around the X line and the electron jet is directed toward the X line. The quadruple magnetic fields exist in both cases, however, they distribute in the current sheet area in the AP-case, and out of the squeezing area in the P-case, because electrons are demagnetized in the electron diffusion region in the MR process, which is absent in the P-case. The electron acceleration is dominant by the Fermi-like mechanism before the MR process, and by the reconnection electric field when the MR occurs. A power-law electron energy spectrum with an index of 1.8 is found in the AP-case. This work proves the significant potential of this experimental platform to be applied in the studies of low-β astronomy phenomena.展开更多
Magnetic reconnection is well known as an efficient mechanism for transferring magnetic energy into plasma energy.However,how the energy conversion and partition between different species is influenced by the shear an...Magnetic reconnection is well known as an efficient mechanism for transferring magnetic energy into plasma energy.However,how the energy conversion and partition between different species is influenced by the shear angle of the reconnecting magnetic component(i.e.,the guide field strength)is not well understood.Using 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations,we investigated the energy conversion in reconnection with different guide fields.We found that the overall energy conversion first decreases steeply and then increases slowly when the guide field increases fromB_(g)=0 toB_(g)=4.The increase in energy conversion in the large guide field regime is due to the electron energy gain through the perpendicular channelJ_(⊥)·E_(⊥).The overall energy conversion is predominantly contributed byJ_(⊥)·E_(⊥) rather thanJ||E||.We further find that energy conversion mainly occurs within the reconnection front and the flux pileup region.However,the contribution from the fore reconnection front becomes important in large guide field regimes(3<B_(g)≤4)because of the enhanced electron energy gain.展开更多
Magnetic reconnection driven by a capacitor coil target is an innovative way to investigate low-βmagnetic reconnection in the laboratory,whereβis the ratio of particle thermal pressure to magnetic pressure.Low-βmag...Magnetic reconnection driven by a capacitor coil target is an innovative way to investigate low-βmagnetic reconnection in the laboratory,whereβis the ratio of particle thermal pressure to magnetic pressure.Low-βmagnetic reconnection frequently occurs in the Earth’s magnetosphere,where the plasma is characterized byβ≲0.01.In this paper,we analyze electron acceleration during magnetic reconnection and its effects on the electron energy spectrum via particle-in-cell simulations informed by parameters obtained from experiments.We note that magnetic reconnection starts when the current sheet is down to about three electron inertial lengths.From a quantitative comparison of the different mechanisms underlying the electron acceleration in low-βreconnection driven by coil targets,we find that the electron acceleration is dominated by the betatron mechanism,whereas the parallel electric field plays a cooling role and Fermi acceleration is negligible.The accelerated electrons produce a hardened power-law spectrum with a high-energy bump.We find that injecting electrons into the current sheet is likely to be essential for further acceleration.In addition,we perform simulations for both a double-coil co-directional magnetic field and a single-coil one to eliminate the possibility of direct acceleration of electrons beyond thermal energies by the coil current.The squeeze between the two coil currents can only accelerate electrons inefficiently before reconnection.The simulation results provide insights to guide future experimental improvements in low-βmagnetic reconnection driven by capacitor coil targets.展开更多
The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager(LEXI)and Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)missions will image the Earth’s dayside magneto pause and cusps in soft X-rays after their respective l...The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager(LEXI)and Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)missions will image the Earth’s dayside magneto pause and cusps in soft X-rays after their respective launches in the near future,to specify glo bal magnetic reconnection modes for varying solar wind conditions.To suppo rt the success of these scientific missions,it is critical to develop techniques that extract the magnetopause locations from the observed soft X-ray images.In this research,we introduce a new geometric equation that calculates the subsolar magnetopause position(RS)from a satellite position,the look direction of the instrument,and the angle at which the X-ray emission is maximized.Two assumptions are used in this method:(1)The look direction where soft X-ray emissions are maximized lies tangent to the magnetopause,and(2)the magnetopause surface near the subsolar point is almost spherical and thus RSis nea rly equal to the radius of the magneto pause curvature.We create synthetic soft X-ray images by using the Open Geospace General Circulation Model(OpenGGCM)global magnetohydrodynamic model,the galactic background,the instrument point spread function,and Poisson noise.We then apply the fast Fourier transform and Gaussian low-pass filte rs to the synthetic images to re move noise and obtain accurate look angles for the soft X-ray pea ks.From the filte red images,we calculate RS and its accuracy for different LEXI locations,look directions,and solar wind densities by using the OpenGGCM subsolar magnetopause location as ground truth.Our method estimates RS with an accuracy of<0.3 RE when the solar wind density exceeds>10 cm-3.The accuracy improves for greater solar wind densities and during southward interplanetary magnetic fields.The method ca ptures the magnetopause motion during southwa rd interplaneta ry magnetic field turnings.Consequently,the technique will enable quantitative analysis of the magnetopause motion and help reveal the dayside reconnection modes for dynamic solar wind conditions.This technique will suppo rt the LEXI and SMILE missions in achieving their scientific o bjectives.展开更多
The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)will shine a spotlight on magnetopause dynamics during magnetic reconnection.We simulate an event with a southward interplanetary magne...The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)will shine a spotlight on magnetopause dynamics during magnetic reconnection.We simulate an event with a southward interplanetary magnetic field turning and produce SXI count maps with a 5-minute integration time.By making assumptions about the magnetopause shape,we find the magnetopause standoff distance from the count maps and compare it with the one obtained directly from the magnetohydrodynamic(MHD)simulation.The root mean square deviations between the reconstructed and MHD standoff distances do not exceed 0.2 RE(Earth radius)and the maximal difference equals 0.24 RE during the 25-minute interval around the southward turning.展开更多
The acceleration of electrons near three-dimensional(3D)magnetic nulls is crucial to the energy conversion mechanism in the 3D magnetic reconnection process.To explore electron acceleration in a 3D magnetic null topol...The acceleration of electrons near three-dimensional(3D)magnetic nulls is crucial to the energy conversion mechanism in the 3D magnetic reconnection process.To explore electron acceleration in a 3D magnetic null topology,we constructed a pair of 3D magnetic nulls in the PKU Plasma Test(PPT)device and observed acceleration of electrons near magnetic nulls.This study measured the plasma floating potential and ion density profiles around the 3D magnetic null.The potential wells near nulls may be related to the energy variations of electrons,so we measured the electron distribution functions(EDFs)at different spatial positions.The axial variation of EDF shows that the electrons deviate from the Maxwell distribution near magnetic nulls.With scanning probes that can directionally measure and theoretically analyze based on curve fitting,the variations of EDFs are linked to the changes of plasma potential under 3D magnetic null topology.The kinetic energy of electrons accelerated by the electric field is 6 eV(v_(e)~7v_(Alfvén-e))and the scale of the region where accelerating electrons exist is in the order of serval electron skin depths.展开更多
We analyse the WIND data of an interplanetary magnetic cloud (MC) on 2 November 2001, and find new evidences for magnetic reconnection in the tail of this MC. In the MC tail, the largely dip and the large change of ...We analyse the WIND data of an interplanetary magnetic cloud (MC) on 2 November 2001, and find new evidences for magnetic reconnection in the tail of this MC. In the MC tail, the largely dip and the large change of the orientation of the magnetic field occurred simultaneously, △θ≈45° and △φ changed from 90° to 320°. Correspondingly, the number density of ions increased, and the superthermal electrons were heated and accelerated, however its number density decreased. Meanwhile, inverse jets and Hall term were observed. The pitch-angle distributions of the electrons with lower energy and higher energy showed strong turbulence and bi-direction flow, respectively. The plasma wave activity enhanced near the electron plasma frequency, fpe and 2fpe. These important physical characteristics are new evidences for magnetic reconnection existing in interplanetary space.展开更多
The ion-to-electron temperature ratio is a good indicator of the processes involved in the plasma sheet.Observations have suggested that patchy reconnection and the resulting earthward bursty bulk flows(BBFs)transport...The ion-to-electron temperature ratio is a good indicator of the processes involved in the plasma sheet.Observations have suggested that patchy reconnection and the resulting earthward bursty bulk flows(BBFs)transport may be involved in causing the lower temperature ratios at smaller radial distances during southward IMF periods.In this paper,we estimate theoretically how a patchy magnetic reconnection electric field can accelerate ions and electrons differently.If both ions and electrons are non-adiabatically accelerated only once within each reconnection,the temperature ratio would be preserved.However,when reconnection occurs closer to the Earth where magnetic field lines are shorter,particles mirrored back from the ionosphere can cross the reconnection region more than once within one reconnection;and electrons,moving faster than ions,can have more crossings than do ions,leading to electrons being accelerated more than ions.Thus as particles are transported from tail to the near-Earth by BBFs through multiple reconnection,electrons should be accelerated by the reconnection electric field more times than are ions,which can explain the lower temperature ratios observed closer to the Earth.展开更多
基金Project supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant Nos.2022YFA1603200 and 2022YFA1603203)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.12075030,12135001,12175018,and 12325305)+3 种基金the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No.XDA25030700)the Research Grants Council of Hong (Grant No.14307118)the Youth Interdisciplinary Team (Grant No.JCTD-2022-05)supported by the China Postdoctoral International Exchange Program。
文摘Magnetic reconnection of the self-generated magnetic fields in laser-plasma interaction is an important laboratory method for modeling high-energy density astronomical and astrophysical phenomena.We use the Martin-Puplett interferometer(MPI)polarimeter to probe the peripheral magnetic fields generated in the common magnetic reconnection configuration,two separated coplanar plane targets,in laser-target interaction.We introduce a new method that can obtain polarization information from the interference pattern instead of the sinusoidal function fitting of the intensity.A bidirectional magnetic field is observed from the side view,which is consistent with the magneto-hydro-dynamical(MHD)simulation results of self-generated magnetic field reconnection.We find that the cancellation of reverse magnetic fields after averaging and integration along the observing direction could reduce the magnetic field strength by one to two orders of magnitude.It indicates that imaging resolution can significantly affect the accuracy of measured magnetic field strength.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.11975087,42261134533,and 42011530086)the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Energy Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2022YFE03190400)the Heilongjiang Touyan Innovation Team Program,China.
文摘Magnetic reconnection processes in three-dimensional(3D)complex field configurations have been investigated in different magneto-plasma systems in space,laboratory,and astrophysical systems.Two-dimensional(2D)features of magnetic reconnection have been well developed and applied successfully to systems with symmetrical property,such as toroidal fusion plasmas and laboratory experiments with an axial symmetry.But in asymmetric systems,the 3D features are inevitably different from those in the 2D case.Magnetic reconnection structures in multiple celestial body systems,particularly star-planet-Moon systems,bring fresh insights to the understanding of the 3D geometry of reconnection.Thus,we take magnetic reconnection in an ancient solar-lunar terrestrial magneto-plasma system as an example by using its crucial parameters approximately estimated already and also some specific applications in pathways for energy and matter transports among Earth,ancient Moon,and the interplanetary magnetic field(IMF).Then,magnetic reconnection of the ancient lunar-terrestrial magnetospheres with the IMF is investigated numerically in this work.In a 3D simulation for the Earth-Moon-IMF system,topological features of complex magnetic reconnection configurations and dynamical characteristics of magnetic reconnection processes are studied.It is found that a coupled lunar-terrestrial magnetosphere is formed,and under various IMF orientations,multiple X-points emerge at distinct locations,showing three typical magnetic reconnection structures in such a geometry,i.e.,the X-line,the triple current sheets,and the A-B null pairs.The results can conduce to further understanding of reconnection physics in 3D for plasmas in complex magnetic configurations,and also a possible mechanism for energy and matters transport in evolutions of similar astrophysical systems.
基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2022YFA1604600)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC,Grant No.42174181)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDB 41000000).
文摘Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are performed to study the coupling between ion and electron motions in collisionless magnetic reconnection.The electron diffusion region(EDR),where the electron motions are demagnetized,is found to have a two-layer structure:an inner EDR near the reconnection site and an outer EDR that is elongated to nearly 10 ion inertial lengths in the outflow direction.In the inner EDR,the speed of the electron outflow increases when the electrons move away from the X line.In the outer EDR,the speed of the electron outflow first increases and then decreases until the electrons reach the boundary of the outer EDR.In the boundary of the outer EDR,the magnetic field piles up and forms a depolarization front.From the perspective of the fluid,a force analysis on the formation of electron and ion outflows has also been investigated.Around the X line,the electrons are accelerated by the reconnection electric field in the out-of-plane direction.When the electrons move away from the X line,we find that the Lorentz force converts the direction of the accelerated electrons to the x direction,forming an electron outflow.Both electric field forces and electron gradient forces tend to drag the electron outflow.Ion acceleration along the x direction is caused by the Lorentz force,whereas the pressure gradient force tends to decelerate the ion outflow.Although these two terms are important,their effects on ions are almost offset.The Hall electric field force does positive work on ions and is not negligible.The ions are continuously accelerated,and the ion and electron outflow velocities are almost the same near the depolarization front.
基金the support from the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.ZDBSSSW-TLC00105)the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2022YFF0503200)+1 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.41974173 and 42274224)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association,Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.2019066)。
文摘We conducted 2-D particle-in-cell simulations to investigate the impact of boundary conditions on the evolution of magnetic reconnection. The results demonstrate that the boundary conditions are crucial to this evolution. Specifically, in the cases of traditional periodic boundary(PB) and fully-opened boundary(OB) conditions, the evolutions are quite similar before the system achieves the fastest reconnection rate. However, differences emerge between the two cases afterward. In the PB case, the reconnection electric field experiences a rapid decline and even becomes negative, indicating a reversal of the reconnection process. In contrast, the system maintains a fast reconnection stage in the OB case. Suprathermal electrons are generated near the separatrix and in the exhaust region of both simulation cases. In the electron density depletion layer and the dipolarization front region, a larger proportion of suprathermal electrons are produced in the OB case. Medium-energy electrons are mainly located in the vicinity of the X-line and downstream of the reconnection site in both cases. However, in the OB case, they can also be generated in the electron holes along the separatrix. Before the reverse reconnection stage, no high-energy electrons are present in the PB case. In contrast, about 20% of the electrons in the thin and elongated electron current layer are high-energy in the OB case.
基金supported by NSFC grants(42188101,42174209,42174207)the Specialized Research Fund for State Key Laboratories of Chinathe Strategic Pioneer Program on Space Science II,Chinese Academy of Sciences,grants XDA15350201,XDA15052500.
文摘Based on current sheet flapping motion on 27 August 2018 in the dusk flank magnetotail,as recorded by instruments aboard Magnetospheric Multiscale(MMS)spacecraft,we present the first study of guide field reconnection observed in the flux rope embedded in kink-like flapping current sheets near the dusk-side flank of the magnetotail.Unlike more common magnetotail reconnections,which are symmetric,these asymmetric small-scale(λ_(i)~650 km)reconnections were found in the highly twisted current sheet when the direction normal to the sheet changes from the Z direction into the Y direction.The unique feature of this unusual reconnection is that the reconnection jets are along the Z direction-different from outflow in the X direction,which is the more usual situation.This vertical reconnection jet is parallel or antiparallel to the up-and-down motion of the tail’s current sheet.The normalized reconnection rate R is estimated to be~0.1.Our results indicate that such asymmetric reconnections can significantly enlarge current sheet flapping,with large oscillation amplitudes.This letter presents direct evidence of guide field reconnection in a highly twisted current sheet,characterized by enlarged current sheet flapping as a consequence of the reconnection outflow.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China No.2022YFF0503800the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC,Grant Nos.11973083 and 11933009)+6 种基金the Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS with grants XDA17040507the outstanding member of the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS(No.Y2021024)the Applied Basic Research of Yunnan Province in China Grant 2018FB009the Yunling Talent Project for the Youththe project of the Group for Innovation of Yunnan Province grant 2018HC023the Yunling Scholar Project of the Yunnan Province and the Yunnan Province Scientist Workshop of Solar PhysicsYunnan Key Laboratory of Solar Physics and Space Exploration(No.202205AG070009)。
文摘An Ellerman Bomb(EB)is a kind of small scale reconnection event,which is ubiquitously formed in the upper photosphere or the lower chromosphere.The low temperature(<10,000 K)and high density(~1019–1022)plasma there makes the magnetic reconnection process strongly influenced by partially ionized effects and radiative cooling.This work studies the highβmagnetic reconnection near the solar temperature minimum region based on high-resolution 2.5D magnetohydrodynamics simulations.The time-dependent ionization degree of hydrogen and helium are included to realize more realistic diffusivities,viscosity and radiative cooling in simulations.Numerical results show that the reconnection rate is smaller than 0.01 and decreases with time during the early quasi-steady stage,then sharply increases to a value above 0.05 in the later stage as the plasmoid instability takes place.Both the large value ofηen(magnetic diffusion caused by the electron-neutral collision)and the plasmoid instability contribute to the fast magnetic reconnection in the EB-like event.The interactions and coalescence of plasmoids strongly enhance the local compression heating effect,which becomes the dominant mechanism for heating in EBs after plasmoid instability appears.However,the Joule heating contributed byηen can play a major role to heat plasmas when the magnetic reconnection in EBs is during the quasi-steady stage with smaller temperature increases.The results also show that the radiative cooling effect suppresses the temperature increase to a reasonable range,and increases the reconnection rate and generation of thermal energy.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11875092)。
文摘The dynamics of low-β magnetic reconnection(MR) driven by laser interaction with a capacitor–coil target are reexamined by simulations in this paper. We compare two cases MR and non-MR(also referred as AP-case and P-case standing for the anti-parallel and parallel magnetic field lines, respectively) to distinguish the different characteristics between them.We find that only in the AP-case the reconnection electric field shows up around the X line and the electron jet is directed toward the X line. The quadruple magnetic fields exist in both cases, however, they distribute in the current sheet area in the AP-case, and out of the squeezing area in the P-case, because electrons are demagnetized in the electron diffusion region in the MR process, which is absent in the P-case. The electron acceleration is dominant by the Fermi-like mechanism before the MR process, and by the reconnection electric field when the MR occurs. A power-law electron energy spectrum with an index of 1.8 is found in the AP-case. This work proves the significant potential of this experimental platform to be applied in the studies of low-β astronomy phenomena.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under Grants 42074197, 42130211, 42104156, and 41774154the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation under Grant 2021M691395
文摘Magnetic reconnection is well known as an efficient mechanism for transferring magnetic energy into plasma energy.However,how the energy conversion and partition between different species is influenced by the shear angle of the reconnecting magnetic component(i.e.,the guide field strength)is not well understood.Using 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations,we investigated the energy conversion in reconnection with different guide fields.We found that the overall energy conversion first decreases steeply and then increases slowly when the guide field increases fromB_(g)=0 toB_(g)=4.The increase in energy conversion in the large guide field regime is due to the electron energy gain through the perpendicular channelJ_(⊥)·E_(⊥).The overall energy conversion is predominantly contributed byJ_(⊥)·E_(⊥) rather thanJ||E||.We further find that energy conversion mainly occurs within the reconnection front and the flux pileup region.However,the contribution from the fore reconnection front becomes important in large guide field regimes(3<B_(g)≤4)because of the enhanced electron energy gain.
基金This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant Nos.2022YFA1603200 and 2022YFA1603203)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12325305,12175018,12135001,and 12075030)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDA25030700).We express our gratitude to X.-G.Wang,K.Huang,X.-X.Yuan,and C.-Q.Xing for their discussions.Thanks to Beijing Super Cloud Computing Center for providing the computational resources.
文摘Magnetic reconnection driven by a capacitor coil target is an innovative way to investigate low-βmagnetic reconnection in the laboratory,whereβis the ratio of particle thermal pressure to magnetic pressure.Low-βmagnetic reconnection frequently occurs in the Earth’s magnetosphere,where the plasma is characterized byβ≲0.01.In this paper,we analyze electron acceleration during magnetic reconnection and its effects on the electron energy spectrum via particle-in-cell simulations informed by parameters obtained from experiments.We note that magnetic reconnection starts when the current sheet is down to about three electron inertial lengths.From a quantitative comparison of the different mechanisms underlying the electron acceleration in low-βreconnection driven by coil targets,we find that the electron acceleration is dominated by the betatron mechanism,whereas the parallel electric field plays a cooling role and Fermi acceleration is negligible.The accelerated electrons produce a hardened power-law spectrum with a high-energy bump.We find that injecting electrons into the current sheet is likely to be essential for further acceleration.In addition,we perform simulations for both a double-coil co-directional magnetic field and a single-coil one to eliminate the possibility of direct acceleration of electrons beyond thermal energies by the coil current.The squeeze between the two coil currents can only accelerate electrons inefficiently before reconnection.The simulation results provide insights to guide future experimental improvements in low-βmagnetic reconnection driven by capacitor coil targets.
基金supported by NASA(Grant Nos.80NSSC19K0844,80NSSC20K1670,80MSFC20C0019,and 80GSFC21M0002)support from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center internal funding programs(HIF,Internal Scientist Funding Model,and Internal Research and Development)。
文摘The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager(LEXI)and Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)missions will image the Earth’s dayside magneto pause and cusps in soft X-rays after their respective launches in the near future,to specify glo bal magnetic reconnection modes for varying solar wind conditions.To suppo rt the success of these scientific missions,it is critical to develop techniques that extract the magnetopause locations from the observed soft X-ray images.In this research,we introduce a new geometric equation that calculates the subsolar magnetopause position(RS)from a satellite position,the look direction of the instrument,and the angle at which the X-ray emission is maximized.Two assumptions are used in this method:(1)The look direction where soft X-ray emissions are maximized lies tangent to the magnetopause,and(2)the magnetopause surface near the subsolar point is almost spherical and thus RSis nea rly equal to the radius of the magneto pause curvature.We create synthetic soft X-ray images by using the Open Geospace General Circulation Model(OpenGGCM)global magnetohydrodynamic model,the galactic background,the instrument point spread function,and Poisson noise.We then apply the fast Fourier transform and Gaussian low-pass filte rs to the synthetic images to re move noise and obtain accurate look angles for the soft X-ray pea ks.From the filte red images,we calculate RS and its accuracy for different LEXI locations,look directions,and solar wind densities by using the OpenGGCM subsolar magnetopause location as ground truth.Our method estimates RS with an accuracy of<0.3 RE when the solar wind density exceeds>10 cm-3.The accuracy improves for greater solar wind densities and during southward interplanetary magnetic fields.The method ca ptures the magnetopause motion during southwa rd interplaneta ry magnetic field turnings.Consequently,the technique will enable quantitative analysis of the magnetopause motion and help reveal the dayside reconnection modes for dynamic solar wind conditions.This technique will suppo rt the LEXI and SMILE missions in achieving their scientific o bjectives.
基金support from the UK Space Agency under Grant Number ST/T002964/1partly supported by the International Space Science Institute(ISSI)in Bern,through ISSI International Team Project Number 523(“Imaging the Invisible:Unveiling the Global Structure of Earth’s Dynamic Magnetosphere”)。
文摘The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)will shine a spotlight on magnetopause dynamics during magnetic reconnection.We simulate an event with a southward interplanetary magnetic field turning and produce SXI count maps with a 5-minute integration time.By making assumptions about the magnetopause shape,we find the magnetopause standoff distance from the count maps and compare it with the one obtained directly from the magnetohydrodynamic(MHD)simulation.The root mean square deviations between the reconstructed and MHD standoff distances do not exceed 0.2 RE(Earth radius)and the maximal difference equals 0.24 RE during the 25-minute interval around the southward turning.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.11975038)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2022YFA1604600)。
文摘The acceleration of electrons near three-dimensional(3D)magnetic nulls is crucial to the energy conversion mechanism in the 3D magnetic reconnection process.To explore electron acceleration in a 3D magnetic null topology,we constructed a pair of 3D magnetic nulls in the PKU Plasma Test(PPT)device and observed acceleration of electrons near magnetic nulls.This study measured the plasma floating potential and ion density profiles around the 3D magnetic null.The potential wells near nulls may be related to the energy variations of electrons,so we measured the electron distribution functions(EDFs)at different spatial positions.The axial variation of EDF shows that the electrons deviate from the Maxwell distribution near magnetic nulls.With scanning probes that can directionally measure and theoretically analyze based on curve fitting,the variations of EDFs are linked to the changes of plasma potential under 3D magnetic null topology.The kinetic energy of electrons accelerated by the electric field is 6 eV(v_(e)~7v_(Alfvén-e))and the scale of the region where accelerating electrons exist is in the order of serval electron skin depths.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos G200078405, 40336053 and 40274052, and the International Collaboration Research Team Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
文摘We analyse the WIND data of an interplanetary magnetic cloud (MC) on 2 November 2001, and find new evidences for magnetic reconnection in the tail of this MC. In the MC tail, the largely dip and the large change of the orientation of the magnetic field occurred simultaneously, △θ≈45° and △φ changed from 90° to 320°. Correspondingly, the number density of ions increased, and the superthermal electrons were heated and accelerated, however its number density decreased. Meanwhile, inverse jets and Hall term were observed. The pitch-angle distributions of the electrons with lower energy and higher energy showed strong turbulence and bi-direction flow, respectively. The plasma wave activity enhanced near the electron plasma frequency, fpe and 2fpe. These important physical characteristics are new evidences for magnetic reconnection existing in interplanetary space.
基金supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant NSFC41374179)supported by NASA (NNX16AJ83G)
文摘The ion-to-electron temperature ratio is a good indicator of the processes involved in the plasma sheet.Observations have suggested that patchy reconnection and the resulting earthward bursty bulk flows(BBFs)transport may be involved in causing the lower temperature ratios at smaller radial distances during southward IMF periods.In this paper,we estimate theoretically how a patchy magnetic reconnection electric field can accelerate ions and electrons differently.If both ions and electrons are non-adiabatically accelerated only once within each reconnection,the temperature ratio would be preserved.However,when reconnection occurs closer to the Earth where magnetic field lines are shorter,particles mirrored back from the ionosphere can cross the reconnection region more than once within one reconnection;and electrons,moving faster than ions,can have more crossings than do ions,leading to electrons being accelerated more than ions.Thus as particles are transported from tail to the near-Earth by BBFs through multiple reconnection,electrons should be accelerated by the reconnection electric field more times than are ions,which can explain the lower temperature ratios observed closer to the Earth.