Laboratory Study of Particle Acceleration by Magnetic Reconnection Using Laser-Powered Capacitor Coils*

Magnetic reconnection, a process wherein magnetic energy is converted into particles' energy through topological rearrangement of magnetic fields, plays a critical role in various explosive events observed in astrophysics. The particle acceleration mechanisms in reconnection are still being investigated. Over the past decade, our team has developed a novel experimental platform to study magnetically driven collisionless reconnection using strong coil currents powered by high-power lasers. Particle acceleration by direct electric field and ion acoustic wave bursts have been investigated through this experiment. We plan to enhance the laser-powered capacitor coil experiment platform to study particle acceleration from two perspectives. First, we will explore direct electric field acceleration under a stronger magnetic field by using short-pulse lasers to drive the current and create a stronger magnetic field. We aim to understand how the accelerated energy scales with the magnetic field. Second, we will study Fermi acceleration from plasmoid reconnection by modifying the setup to generate longer current sheets where plasmoid instability occurs, facilitating the associated Fermi acceleration. In this presentation, I will introduce the setup of the laser-powered coil experiment, provide an overview of our previous findings, and discuss future studies on particle acceleration by magnetic reconnection.