Bulletin of the American Physical Society
65th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics
Monday–Friday, October 30–November 3 2023; Denver, Colorado
Session PP11: Poster Session VI:
MFE:DIII-D and conventional tokamaks II;MHD and stability; Analytic techniques in MFE;
ICF: Pinches and hohlraum physics
SPACE: Astrophysical plasmas
LTP:Low temperature plasma applications
MC:Miniconference: Shocks
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Room: Plaza ABC
Abstract: PP11.00138 : Electron acceleration mechanisms in magnetic reconnection and flux ropes in the Earth's quasi-parallel bow shock
Presenter:
Naoki Bessho
(University of Maryland, College Park; NASA GSFC)
Authors:
Naoki Bessho
(University of Maryland, College Park; NASA GSFC)
Li-Jen Chen
(NASA/GSFC)
Michael Hesse
(NASA Ames Research Center)
Jonathan Ng
(University of Maryland)
Lynn B Wilson
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
Julia Stawarz
(Northumbria university)
To understand electron acceleration and heating in reconnection in shocks, we perform 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of quasi-parallel shocks. In a shock with its Alfven Mach number around 10, reconnecting current sheets show both ion-coupled reconnection and electron-only reconnection. The electron temperature increases significantly in ion-scale flux ropes. The energy spectrum in the shock transition region shows a non-thermal power-law component.
Tracing electron trajectories in the PIC simulation, we identified five energization mechanisms. Fermi acceleration in contracting islands, acceleration in a moving flux rope, a new type of betatron acceleration (“island betatron acceleration”), and two conventional shock acceleration mechanisms (parallel electric field, and shock drift acceleration).
Energization in a moving flux rope and island betatron acceleration account for the higher energy part in the electron spectrum. Fermi acceleration and the conventional shock acceleration mechanisms produce the lower to medium energy part of the spectrum. We conclude that reconnection plays a major role to energize electrons in the shock transition region.
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