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Author(s):
M. Tanaka and D. Biskamp
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Title:
Symmetry-Breaking due to Parallel Electron Motion and Resultant Scaling in Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection
Date of publication:
Mar. 1996
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Key words:
flow asymmetry, electron parallel dynamics, finite Larmor radius effect, implicit particle simulation
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Abstract:
The macro-particle simulations of magnetically reconnecting flux bundles in a collisionless magnetized plasma show a remarkable asymmetry of the poloidal flow. The corresponding current for the electron and ion species has a significant divergence, nabla_parallel bullet J_Vert^e neq 0 and nabla_perp bullet J_perpt^i neq 0, which creates substantial density inhomogeneity and toroidal magnetic field to result in a thick current sheet. The reconnection rate is found to increase mildly with increasing ion mass or decreasing the toroidal magnetic field, but to decrease drastically for ion Larmor radii comparable to the ion skin depth.
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