Abstract
We study compression-driven magnetic reconnection in a relativistic electron-positron plasma. Making use of a 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell code, we simulated compression of a magnetized plasma layer containing a current sheet within it. We found that the particle spectrum within the reconnecting sheet becomes nonthermal; it can be approximated by a power-law distribution with an index of -1 and an exponential cutoff.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1436-1442 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
Volume | 682 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Aug 2008 |
Keywords
- Acceleration of particles
- Magnetic fields
- Plasmas
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science