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

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.

Automated summary

A new mechanism for strong electron heating in magnetic islands ejected from the reconnection current layer is proposed in this study. Full kinetic simulations in a three-dimensional system show that electrons are effectively accelerated by the non-ideal electric field generated through electromagnetic turbulence in the magnetic islands. High-energy electrons are efficiently scattered by the turbulence, leading to strong electron heating, which is consistent with recent satellite observations in the Earth's magnetosphere.