Speaker
Description
Magnetic reconnection is a ubiquitous plasma phenomenon that plays an important role in particle heating and energization. During reconnection, the topology of magnetic field rearranges, depositing energy into the surrounding plasma through bulk flow, thermal heating, or non-thermal particle acceleration. The pathways of this transformation from magnetic energy into kinetic have been studied extensively in recent years, albeit mostly on a theoretical or case-by-case basis observationally. In this study, we conduct a statistical analysis using data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, and detail the particle energization mechanisms in magnetic structures found near reconnecting regions in turbulent Earth's magnetotail. We find that electron motion perpendicular to the magnetic field dominate j·E dissipation. In contrast to the conventional picture of unidirectional energy transfer to particles by laminar two-dimensional (2D) reconnection, we find that energy exchange within magnetic structures during turbulent reconnection tends to be bidirectional with only a small positive bias from magnetic field to particles. Specific electron energization mechanisms are quantified including parallel electric field energization, Fermi acceleration due to curvature drift, betatron heating from magnetic field inhomogeneity, and polarization drift.
