A Lagrangian kinetic model for collisionless magnetic reconnection

Abstract

A new fully kinetic system is proposed for modeling collisionless magnetic reconnection. The formulation relies on fundamental principles in Lagrangian dynamics, in which the inertia of the electron mean flow is neglected in the expression of the Lagrangian, rather then enforcing a zero electron mass in the equations of motion. This is done upon splitting the electron velocity into its mean and fluctuating parts, so that the latter naturally produce the corresponding pressure tensor. The model exhibits a new Coriolis force term, which emerges from a change of frame in the electron dynamics. Then, if the electron heat flux is neglected, the strong electron magnetization limit yields a hybrid model, in which the electron pressure tensor is frozen into the electron mean velocity.

15 pages, no figures. To Appear in Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion

References in corpus (3)

• The Maxwell-Vlasov equations in Euler-Poincare form
• Hamiltonian approach to hybrid plasma models
• Euler-Poincaré formulation of hybrid plasma models

Cited by in corpus (9)

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• Variational principles for the guiding-center Vlasov-Maxwell equations
• Koopman wavefunctions and Clebsch variables in Vlasov-Maxwell kinetic theory
• Hamiltonian kinetic-Hall Magnetohydrodynamics with fluid and kinetic ions in the current and pressure coupling schemes
• A low-frequency variational model for energetic particle effects in the pressure-coupling scheme
• Variational mean-fluctuation splitting and drift-fluid models
• Electron inertia and quasi-neutrality in the Weibel instability