Vlasov simulations of electron holes driven by particle distributions from PIC reconnection simulations with a guide field

Parallel velocity particle distributions taken from 2-D PIC simulations of magnetic reconnection with a guide field, B(g) are used to initialize 1-D and 2-D electrostatic Vlasov simulations which include the direction parallel to the (local) magnetic field, B. Electron holes develop near the separatrix from an electron-ion (e. g., Buneman) instability. Restriction of the destabilizing current to a narrow sheet perpendicular to B reduces the Buneman growth rate but leads to more stable holes. Near the x-point, B is almost parallel to B(g). Here, electron-electron kinetic two-stream instabilities lead to holes moving parallel to B, which can modify the electron-ion interaction. This results in a second generation of (slower) electron phase space perturbations which can reduce the current. Citation: Goldman, M. V., D. L. Newman, and P. Pritchett (2008), Vlasov simulations of electron holes driven by particle distributions from PIC reconnection simulations with a guide field, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L22109, doi: 10.1029/2008GL035608.