Phase-space Analysis of Ordered and Disordered Nonthermal Ion Energization during Magnetic Reconnection

Abstract Anomalous ion heating is frequently observed to accompany magnetic reconnection, yet there is little consensus on its origin. Instead of the usual velocity-space analysis, we use phase-space analysis to exhaustively explain how ions are nonthermally energized during collisionless, antiparal...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Astrophysical journal Vol. 956; no. 2; pp. 105 - 113
Main Authors Yoon, Young Dae, Bellan, Paul M., Yun, Gunsu S.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Philadelphia The American Astronomical Society 01.10.2023
IOP Publishing
Subjects
Astrophysics
Heating
Ion heating
Ion temperature
Ions
Liapunov exponents
Magnetic reconnection
Solar coronal heating
Solar magnetic reconnection
Tensors
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Abstract Anomalous ion heating is frequently observed to accompany magnetic reconnection, yet there is little consensus on its origin. Instead of the usual velocity-space analysis, we use phase-space analysis to exhaustively explain how ions are nonthermally energized during collisionless, antiparallel magnetic reconnection. There are both ordered and disordered aspects in the process; the former is explained in terms of conservative quantities, and the latter is explained by demonstrating chaos through a direct calculation of Lyapunov exponents. The former induces “multibeam-like heating” in all three directions, whereas the latter induces stochastic bulk heating. Profiles of the ion temperature tensor components during reconnection can be easily understood by the phase-space distributions of ions in different motional stages.
Bibliography:AAS46860
The Sun and the Heliosphere
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.3847/1538-4357/acf1f5