Non‐Adiabatic Electron Heating in the Magnetic Islands During Magnetic Reconnection

Abstract

Abstract The present study proposes a new mechanism to cause a strong electron heating in the magnetic islands ejected from the reconnection current layer. A large‐scale full kinetic simulation in three‐dimensional system demonstrates that the electrons are effectively accelerated by the non‐ideal electric field generated through the electromagnetic turbulence excited in the magnetic islands. It is found that the high‐energy electrons are efficiently scattered by the turbulence, resulting in the strong electron heating. The existence of turbulence and the associated non‐ideal electric field in the magnetic islands is consistent with recent satellite observations in the Earth’s magnetosphere.

Topics & Concepts