Stochastic Acceleration in Turbulent Electric Fields Generated by 3-D Reconnection

Abstract

Electron and proton acceleration in three-dimensional electric and magnetic fields is studied through test particle simulations. The fields are obtained by a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation of magnetic reconnection in slab geometry. The nonlinear evolution of the system is characterized by the growth of many unstable modes and the initial current sheet is fragmented with formation of small scale structures. We inject at random points inside the evolving current sheet a Maxwellian distribution of particles. In relatively short time (less than a millisecond) the particles develop a power law tail. The acceleration is extremely efficient and the electrons absorb a large percentage of the available energy in a small fraction of the characteristic time of the MHD simulation, suggesting that resistive MHD codes, used extensively in the current literature, are unable to represent the full extent of particle acceleration in 3D reconnection.

accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters

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• Particle Acceleration in an Evolving Network of Unstable Current Sheets
• Determination Of Electron Flux Spectra In A Solar Flare With An Augmented Regularization Method: Application To Rhessi Data
• Particle Acceleration in three dimensional Reconnection Regions: A New Test Particle Approach

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