Self-regulation of the reconnecting current layer in relativistic pair plasma reconnection

Abstract

We investigate properties of the reconnecting current layer in relativistic pair plasma reconnection. We found that the current layer self-regulates its thickness when the current layer runs out current carriers, and so relativistic reconnection retains a fast reconnection rate. Constructing a steady state Sweet-Parker model, we discuss conditions for the current sheet expansion. Based on the energy argument, we conclude that the incompressible assumption is invalid in relativistic Sweet-Parker reconnection. The guide field cases are more incompressible than the anti-parallel cases, and we find a more significant current sheet expansion.

Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal (to appear in vol. 685)

References in corpus (4)

• Two-scale structure of the electron dissipation region during collisionless magnetic reconnection
• The Role of the Guide Field in Relativistic Pair Plasma Reconnection
• Two-dimensional MHD simulations of relativistic magnetic reconnection
• Separation of accelerated electrons and positrons in the relativistic reconnection

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Relativistic magnetic reconnection in pair plasmas and its astrophysical applications
• Scaling of magnetic reconnection in relativistic collisionless plasmas
• On the Value of the Reconnection Rate
• Recent Progress on Particle Acceleration and Reconnection Physics during Magnetic Reconnectionin the Magnetically-dominated Relativistic Regime
• Relativistic magnetic reconnection in collisionless ion-electron plasmas explored with particle-in-cell simulations
• Relativistic Asymmetric Reconnection
• The effect of cooling on particle trajectories and acceleration in relativistic magnetic reconnection
• Conditions for Relativistic Magnetic Reconnection under the Presence of Shear Flow and Guide Field